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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28851534">𝕱𝖑𝖆𝖒𝖊𝖘 𝖔𝖋 𝕭𝖑𝖚𝖊</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Its_zz8/pseuds/Its_zz8'>Its_zz8</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>senator - Fandom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Drama, F/M, Forbidden Romance, Gen, Internship, Lies, Political Alliances, Secret Relationship, Secrets</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:26:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>23,617</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28851534</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Its_zz8/pseuds/Its_zz8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑒, 𝑀𝓈. 𝒱𝑒𝑒𝓇𝒶, 𝓌𝑒 𝓌𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝒸𝑜𝓃𝑔𝓇𝒶𝓉𝓊𝓁𝒶𝓉𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝑜𝓃 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓃𝑒𝓌 𝒶𝒸𝒸𝑒𝓅𝓉𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓌𝑒 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓈𝑜 𝑒𝓍𝒸𝒾𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝑜𝓃 𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓉𝑒𝒶𝓂."</p><p>Perhaps it was a mistake, for my name was not supposed to be up there on the list of Mr. Oaksen's new interns. But two days after receiving the email, I somehow find myself standing outside the steps of Mr. Oaksen's office along with the 4 others. </p><p>From the very start, he never liked me, and I had no idea why. But what happens when I accidentally found myself discovering something I never should've learned? He warned me that this secret must only stay between us and that if it somehow got out, bad things would happen. On one hand, if he does not win this election, then America is doomed, but on the other, is democracy really worth it if it was built on a foundation of lies, betrayal, and manipulation? </p><p>When the choices come down to loyalty or love, what would you choose?</p><p>Inspired by JON OSSOFF</p><p>(Please read the disclaimers inside)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Evangeline Veera/ James Oaksen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. 𝓒𝓪𝓼𝓽</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>1)THIS IS NOT A JON OSSOFF fanfic. The earlier version of this story was, but due to legal reasons, I've changed that. The male character, James Oaksen, is inspired by him, but is not JON OSSOFF and his behavior should not reflect Mr. Ossoff's online image. </p><p>I will try to keep it as accurate and as realistic as possible, but it will include fictional details in order to build the plot. Again, this is a FICTIONAL work, and the way James Oaksen is portrayed is by no way a prediction/reflection of Mr. Ossoff's life or his future. Please don't let this tint your views of his political career and read on with a grain of salt.</p><p>2) It's a well-known fact that idolizing politicians is not a good idea, which is why I highly advise you to read this fanfic with a grain of salt in mind. This is a fun writing project I am working on, and at the end of the day, it isn't something serious.</p><p>Sure, Jon Ossoff is a very hot man and his political views may align with some people, but keep in mind that he is still a politician. DO NOT STAN POLITICIANS, it is irresponsible and unwise. Politics is a sketchy field, and no matter who it is, it is inevitable that one day they will vote for something you personally don't support.  Please don't let a politician's view lead you down the wrong path, and always make sure to do your research</p><p>Personally, I had to do 2 days worth of research to even start writing this story, and that was only the beginning. I consider myself a pretty "woke" person, so if you are interested, feel free to follow the Tiktok (simpforjonossoff) where I will often be talking about political topics. </p><p> </p><p>3) I respect all political opinions (except if you support trump) but I will not tolerate racism, xenophobia, homophobia, sexism, or discrimination of any size, shape, or form. Inappropriate comments will be immediately deleted and you will be blocked. Please respect everyone.</p><p>4)There is a 13 year age gap between James Oaksen and the main character, Evangeline, in this story. If this number is a problem for you/make you feel uncomfortable, please respectfully click off this story. A reminder that both parties are consenting adults of age in this story. The keyword is CONSENT.</p><p>5) Please be respectful of Senator Jon Ossoff and his wife, Dr. Kramer. I've had to delete multiple comments that were tagging him in my Tiktok comments. Putting this on AO3 and Wattpad, it is open to the entire internet, which means that there will always be a possibility that Senator Ossoff or someone that knows him reads this.  I have no objection to this, though it would be slightly embarrassing on my part. However, more likely than not, he won't ever come across this fanfic because he is a busy man with a job,  so let's not go and harass him about it.</p><p> </p><p>Lastly) This is not illegal (I checked), but please don't go reporting this to the FBI or something... I know, I know, I'm just paranoid, but please be respectful of my privacy.</p><p>Note that this story is written in 1st POV of Evangeline Veera and is in the format of a diary entry. This combined with the fact that Eva is only 20 years old, the language used will be slightly informal to match the setting. There may be instances where the story contains "You", in which case, You refers to the reader of the diary.</p><p> </p><p>Trigger warnings: Considering how this fanfic is about a character who is very formal, I will try and keep it as PG as possible. However, if triggering content does come up, I will make sure to state it out clearly at the beginning of the chapter.</p><p>THERE WILL BE NO INAPPROPRIATE OR SPICY CHAPTERS. (sorry)</p><p>Now that it's out of the way, enjoy!! (make sure to comment and vote ❤️)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>𝕱𝖎𝖗𝖊 𝖔𝖓 𝖋𝖎𝖗𝖊, 𝖜𝖔𝖚𝖑𝖉 𝖓𝖔𝖗𝖒𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖞 𝖐𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖚𝖘,</p><p>𝖇𝖚𝖙 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖒𝖚𝖈𝖍 𝖉𝖊𝖘𝖎𝖗𝖊, 𝖙𝖔𝖌𝖊𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗 𝖜𝖊'𝖗𝖊 𝖜𝖎𝖓𝖓𝖊𝖗𝖘 </p><p>=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=<br/>
(These are face claims, AO3 doesn't allow me to include images but feel free to google them)</p><p> </p><p>𝕁𝕠𝕟 𝕆𝕤𝕤𝕠𝕗𝕗 𝕒𝕤 𝕁𝕒𝕞𝕖𝕤 𝕆𝕒𝕜𝕤𝕖𝕟</p><p> </p><p>𝕊𝕒𝕣𝕒𝕙 𝔾𝕒𝕕𝕠𝕟 𝕒𝕤 𝔼𝕧𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕖(𝔼𝕧𝕒) 𝕍𝕖𝕖𝕣𝕒</p><p> </p><p>𝔻𝕠𝕧𝕖 ℂ𝕒𝕞𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟 𝕒𝕤 𝕁𝕠𝕔𝕖𝕝𝕪𝕟 𝕆𝕡𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕖</p><p> </p><p>𝔻𝕪𝕝𝕒𝕟 𝕆'𝔹𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕟 𝕒𝕤 𝔻𝕖𝕟𝕟𝕚𝕤 ℍ𝕒𝕣𝕠𝕝𝕕</p><p> </p><p>𝕋𝕣𝕠𝕪𝕖 𝕊𝕚𝕧𝕒𝕟 𝕒𝕤 𝔹𝕖𝕒𝕦 ℝ𝕠𝕓𝕖𝕣𝕥𝕒</p><p> </p><p>𝔸𝕤𝕙𝕝𝕖𝕪 𝕄𝕒𝕕𝕖𝕜𝕨𝕖𝕒𝕤 𝕒𝕤 𝕍𝕒𝕝𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕖 𝕂𝕖𝕚𝕥𝕒</p><p> </p><p>𝕃𝕒𝕟𝕒 ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕕𝕠𝕣 𝕒𝕤 𝔸𝕕𝕖𝕝𝕪𝕟 (𝔸𝕕𝕕𝕚𝕖) 𝕃u</p><p> </p><p>𝕃𝕠𝕝𝕒 𝔾𝕝𝕒𝕦𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕚 𝕒𝕤 𝔸𝕪𝕖𝕤𝕙𝕒 𝕊𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕠</p><p> </p><p>𝕁𝕠𝕖 𝔹𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕟 𝕒𝕤 𝕁𝕠𝕖 𝔹𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕟</p><p> </p><p>𝔻𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝𝕕 𝕋𝕣𝕦𝕞𝕡 𝕒𝕤 𝔻𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝𝕕 𝕋𝕣𝕦𝕞𝕡</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟏𝟓, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Wow... I cannot even begin to process what happened today.</p><p>Today, it arrived- the results that would determine the course of the rest of my life arrived. Ok, maybe that was a slight exaggeration, but that isn't the point. The point is, at around 3 pm this afternoon, I received the email telling me whether or not I got accepted or rejected.</p><p>Accepted to what, you may ask? It's a long story that involved a lot of frustration, tears of both joy and rage, and most importantly, luck. You see, this turn in my life first began in early 2017 when I saw that a young, male politician filled with potential from my small hometown of Atlanta, Georgia had decided that he wanted to run for Senate. His name read "James Oaksen," and the more I read, the more excited I became. <br/>See, back then, I didn't really care too much about politics or news. Not that I was oblivious; I knew that Trump was bad and that I was a democrat, but that was about it. I know how privileged that sounds, but truthfully, it never was a topic of conversation for me.</p><p>However, reading about James Oaksen and the big plans he had, something inside me clicked that day. Something about him is just.... Unique. With that life realization, my past, non-existent plans and passions flew out the window instantaneously. That's it... I wanted to be a politician. The dreams of one day getting the chance to represent the citizens of the United States was born that day.</p><p>Everyone brushed me off when I told them my plan. I mean, who can blame them, I was only a stubborn and lost 16-year-old girl with big dreams. I almost listened to them, almost let their comments get to me. God knows where I would be today if I didn't fight with every single cell in my body for what I knew I wanted.</p><p>Spring 2018, after so many years, all my hard work finally paid off. Crying tears of joy, I ran downstairs to show my parents what had finally come in the mail that day. With shaking hands, I could barely contain my excitement as I handed them my shiny acceptance letter from Yale University, my dream school.</p><p>God... I did it. My stupid, pointless dream was starting to fall into place, starting to become reality. After an eventful summer in 2018 where lots of teary good-byes were said, I was ready to leave behind my past and embark on my new, long-awaited journey.</p><p>Freshman year went by without a hitch, well, kinda. Hell, they were not kidding when they said that college was brutal. Countless times I wanted to give up and drop out or switch to an easier major, but I didn't. Luckily, with the mutual support of my new roommate and now best friend Addie, we both managed to survive it without losing too much of our sanity.</p><p>An incredibly fast and blurry summer later, both of our sophomore years started. They started off wonderful, with both of us getting into serious and loving relationships, but then... 2020 hit.</p><p>I still remember New Year's Eve 2019 so vividly... A group of our friends decided that we were going to celebrate the start of a new decade by going out to a bar and letting go. Going to such a prestigious school, this definitely was not something we did every weekend, so we were all extremely excited. With our extremely fake-looking IDs, we managed to sneak into the bar without any problems whatsoever. Drinks upon drinks were downed eagerly that night.</p><p>"2020... election year," I sighed as the clock got closer and closer to midnight. I attempted to take another shot to get my mind off the United States' trash of a president: Trump. "God, please get Trump out of office. I can't humanly live another 4 years with this joke"</p><p>"EVA! What are you waiting for? A MINUTE TILL 2020!" Addie squealed, pulling me out of my seat. With our drinks in hand and the New York ball drop countdown running, we gathered around excitedly. "Here's to a better 2020!" We uniformly cheered as the clock struck midnight.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟏𝟓, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎 (𝟐)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Oh boy was I wrong. As of the time I'm writing this diary entry, it's only early August, but god, am I ready for 2020 to be over already. The year started off with World War 3 memes, which I found pretty funny only because I knew that it wouldn't make sense politically for it to happen.</p><p>February finally rolled around painstakingly slowly, but then the Coronavirus started to reach the US and things only went downhill from there. After a tragically terrible sophomore year in which we barely made it out alive ended for us, we were told to leave campus because of the severity of the pandemic.</p><p>The pandemic, a seemingly small issue, magnified a thousand degrees because of the stupidity of the president. Out of all the chaos, somehow politics remained a big focus of the year. Every day, I paid close attention to the news and actions of all the US governors and representatives, but one person in particular was the focus of my attention every time. James Oaksen. As months turned into days and November elections drew nearer and nearer, I watched his every campaign and public appearance.</p><p>True, it was not going to be anywhere near easy for Mr. Oaksen if he wanted to win. Running for the Democratic party in a mainly Republican state was only the beginning of his problems; factoring in the young age and with it the inexperience, the odds were not in his favor. However, as I was going through his Twitter one day looking for updates, something caught my eye.</p><p>Are you, or do you know someone aged 18-25 and interested in a future in government and politics? Mr. James Oaksen, Georgia Senator Candidate, is looking for a group of 5 extremely driven and talented individuals to intern and become part of his next campaign team. Apply now and join him on his journey to becoming the United States' youngest male Senator in 40 years.</p><p>Oh my goodness. I physically jumped up out of the leather couch which I was just comfortably perched in a second ago, and ran to the guest room in my parents' house where I was staying. After a quick search that confirmed that the ad was real, the journey began.</p><p>After filling out mounds of nitpicky paperwork that included things like letters of recommendation from professors and intricate resumes, I nervously submitted everything two weeks later. From there, the dreaded waiting game began.</p><p>Just as I was beginning to think that maybe it was fake after all, I received an email in early July inviting me to a virtual interview with a woman named Mrs. Sotello next week.</p><p>That meant that I was still in the running, which was a great sign, right! I had a bad feeling that this wouldn't be like any normal job interview, which scared the hell out of me. I had no idea what, or how, to even begin to prepare. What if I completely bombed it and everything I'd worked so hard for failed?</p><p>I logged on that morning 10 minutes before the allotted time, jitters running all through my body. As the zoom screen loaded to let me into the meeting, a million possible scenarios ran through my head. What greeted me surprised me. The interviewer, a fairly young lady that was probably in her 30s, mumbled a cold and distant hello to my warm introduction.</p><p>The interview happened to be extremely quick, only consisting of 3 fairly normal interview questions that lasted no more than 10 minutes.</p><p>"Is that it?" I asked, confusion clear on my face.</p><p>"Yes, Ms. Verra. Anytime in the next two weeks, you will receive an email, either inviting you to the second round of interviews, or a rejection. I wish the best of luck to you."</p><p>From there on out, I started checking my emails obsessively every second of my waking day. But the weekend of my third weeks approached fast, and still, there was... emptiness. Not even a rejection letter.</p><p>In a turn of events, this morning I received a phone call from my sister Jasmine who I haven't spoken to in a strangely long time. Personally, I would say Jasmine and I have a pretty good relationship, but it still wasn't normal for us to call each other unless there was something we needed. I picked up the phone hesitantly.</p><p>"Hey Eva! " she smiles.</p><p>"I missed you Jas... It's been such a long time since we talked. So what's up with you?" From the other end of the phone, I could hear her laugh softly.</p><p>"Not much, to be honest... It's been pretty calm lately, though I do wish this goddamn pandemic would go away. Anyways, I'll get straight to the point. I heard that you were applying to intern for James Oaksen. How's that going for you?"</p><p>I chuckled. Of course, mom told her. "Honestly? I thought my application was good but after the first round of interviews, there's been radio silence. They didn't even send me a rejection letter."</p><p>"Oh, Eva..." she replies sympathetically. "That's good though, right? Because it means you haven't technically been rejected."</p><p>"I'm pretty sure I'm a goner, since I didn't even get my second round of interviews. I'm not going to lie, I'm a little disappointed."</p><p>"Hey! Don't be. I heard that this afternoon at 3 is when they are announcing the final results. You should check the list, who knows!"</p><p>I raise my eyebrows. "How did you know that? Not even I knew... But anyways, it doesn't matter, I know I didn't get picked."</p><p>"Plesaseeee, Eva. I live in New York, for god's sake, people talk. And just trust me. Anything is possible."</p><p>"Jasmine..." I ask, raising my eyebrows. "I know you. What is the real reason you called? Did you do something?"</p><p>I hear her nervously clear her throat before answering my questions. "No, don't be ridiculous, what could I have done? I gotta go, my client is coming soon, but check your emails, okay?"</p><p>With that, she hung up the phone, leaving me in utter confusion. Where the hell did that come from? After you cried for so many nights and finally accepted defeat, she swooped in and filled you up with false hope. Great.</p><p>As 3 PM approached, the debate on whether I should listen to her or not intensifies. I finally decided that I would humor her, 'cause why not. At approximately 2:50 pm, I nervously hauled out my laggy Macbook from the corner of my closet before setting it on the wooden dining table and turning it on.</p><p>Refresh, refresh, refresh.</p><p>Before my eyes, the short list of accepted interns appeared, and my gaze slowly traveled through the list as I read each name with jealousy.</p><p>𝒥𝑜𝒸𝑒𝓁𝓎𝓃 𝒪𝓅𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑒, 𝟤𝟥</p><p>𝒟𝑒𝓃𝓃𝒾𝓈 𝐻𝒶𝓇𝑜𝓁𝒹, 𝟤𝟧</p><p>𝐵𝑒𝒶𝓊 𝑅𝑜𝒷𝑒𝓇𝓉𝒶, 𝟤𝟥</p><p>𝒱𝒶𝓁𝑒𝓇𝒾𝑒 𝒢𝓇𝑒𝓎, 𝟤𝟣</p><p>Finally, my eyes reached the bottom of the list, and then realization hit. No way....</p><p>𝐸𝓋𝒶𝓃𝑔𝑒𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑒 𝒱𝑒𝓇𝓇𝒶, 20</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟏𝟓, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎 (𝟑)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Oh God... I can't believe that this really was really happening, this is absolutely insane.</p><p>I started rubbing my eyes aggressively when I saw my name on the list of Mr. Oaksen's new interns. Was I dreaming? Perhaps this was a fake list. Or even, perhaps this my sister's idea of a cruel joke? I grabbed my phone and attempted to call her back, but the call went straight to voicemail much to my annoyance.</p><p>Deep breaths, Eva. Oh my god did this really happen? I pinched my face to confirm that I wasn't dreaming. I was not. Logically, I told myself that I'm just being paranoid. It's too intricate to be a prank, and Jasmine isn't the type to play with emotions like this... right? A notification sound on my phone broke my train of thought, and I scrambled to check the source of the sound. It was an email:</p><p>=================================================</p><p>From: teamoaksen.gmail.com</p><p>To: Evavee88.gmail.com</p><p>Evangeline,</p><p>We would first like to start off by thanking you for your interest in joining the team, and we congratulate you on taking the first step in making a bluer America by applying.</p><p> After reviewing thousands of applicants from talented young adults from all over the United States, only a select few were invited to our initial interviews and even fewer to our selective round. The whole process took close to 4 months and a lot of collaboration and teamwork on both our team and your part, but now the process is finally over.</p><p>In the end, it all came down to a select list after the second interview. It was a terribly difficult decision, but after reviewing every single applicant's every small detail, you among 4 other people were chosen by Mr. Oaksen's team for this opportunity. You, Miss Veera, managed to stand out both on paper and as a person among thousands of applicants, and you should be very proud of yourself for this achievement.</p><p>Therefore, Ms.Veera, we would like to congratulate you on your new acceptance, and we are so excited to have you on our team. With your help on the Oaksen team, we have high hopes that Mr. Oaksen will become the next Georgia Senator and help define the future of our state, our country, and our democracy.</p><p>The first day of the internship will begin on Monday the 17th and will last until May 2021. For those of you who are currently enrolled in some sort of post-secondary education program, we have contacted your school and arranged for a gap year. We apologize sincerely for the short notice from today to the first day of the internship, but we hope you understand.</p><p>While for the duration of this program, we require that all interns live in their assigned apartment rooms in an apartment complex close to Mr. Oaksen's office. No need to brood over rent and utility bills for the apartment, for they have all been provided for by Mr. Oaksen. There will be basic furniture already in place, so try not to pack too heavily. Arrangements for transportation have already been taken care of, and further below, you will find the address.</p><p>Pandemic friendly measures will be taken to avoid the spread of the virus, and we require that all interns wear face coverings at all times while in contact with other teammates. This is a strict, non-negotiable, no-tolerance policy that exists to ensure the safety of everyone</p><p>Keep in mind that as part of the internship, you will be traveling along with the Oaksen team on his political campaign tour across Georgia. Not all nights will be spent in your apartments, but rather, many will be spent in hotels. Pack accordingly, we highly suggest bringing or investing in an overnight bag and/or small luggage suitcase. More on what to pack, please keep in mind that the dress code whether on campaign tour or in the office is business formal. For men, this entails button-up shirts, suits, ties, ....etc, and for ladies, this entails blazers, dress pants, dark monotone dresses, skirts, ... etc.</p><p>We know this is a lot of information to throw on all of you at once, but we are confident that you can do it.</p><p>Once again, Congratulations, and we are so excited to meet you soon.</p><p>Team Oaksen</p><p>=================================================</p><p>This really is happening. I blink trying to process all that I had just read. August 17? The bus coming to pick me up is arriving tomorrow morning, and I was in no way, shape, or form prepared.</p><p>After texting Addie a short, most likely incomprehensive voice memo where I was screaming in excitement at this new turn of events, I scramble into motion. Taking my trusty and dusty black suitcase which I used for college out of my closet, I started throwing in everything in my closet that could pass as "business formal". Turns out though, it wasn't a lot, but whatever.</p><p>It took me a while to debate whether or not I was going to bring the heart shaped jade necklace gifted to me from my loving grandmother along with me. On one hand, it would kill me if anything managed to happens to it, but then again, it has always been my good luck charm, and god knows I need luck for this new chapter in my life. I settle for tucking it into the pockets of my jacket so that I can keep it safe on the journey.</p><p>As I laid in bed, daydreams of what my next year would look and feel like run through my head, keeping me awake in a mixture of nerves and excitement. If 16-year-old Eva was here right now, I think that she would be proud of me....</p><p>With that thought lingering in the back of my mind, I fell asleep.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟏𝟕, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Goodness, I haven't slept this soundly for months...</p><p>Early in the afternoon yesterday, I arrived at my new apartment in downtown, Atlanta. After checking in and filling out a couple of forms in the lobby, I was handed a shiny, pristine, silver key to my new apartment.</p><p>Let's just say...this was not at all what I had expected my new apartment to look like. I was expecting a small, shabby room with at best a small kitchen, not an entire penthouse-sized and fully decorated apartment. After giving the chauffeur a quick thanks for all his help, I was left alone to explore my home.</p><p>The interior was breathtaking. It included a living room that looked oh so inviting, a kitchen that seemed to call my name, a bedroom with a queen-sized bed and fluffy pillows, and a magnificent marble bathroom that was connected to the bedroom. Throwing my suitcase down on the floor, I plopped onto the cloudlike bed, smiling satisfied.</p><p>A glance at the clock on the bed stand revealed that it was 5 P.M, but it was already dark outside. I chose a random box that was lying by the door and started to take things out, but quickly got bored of it. You know what- on second thought, this can wait.</p><p>For the rest of tonight, I'll just get something to eat, take a shower, and then try to sleep early. After all, I wouldn't want to be late for my first day of the internship tomorrow.</p><p>I was starving but also too tired to cook dinner, and so I begrudgingly decided that I would just settle for some Kraft macaroni and cheese since it's the easiest to make. Putting on some fun music from my Spotify playlist named "vibes", I got to work.</p><p>Wrapped up in my fluffy pink robe a couple of hours later, I decided to pick my outfit for tomorrow before I sleep. I made a mental note to myself that next weekend I should probably go shopping for some new clothes; the closet was barely half filled up.</p><p>Before I slept, I made sure to set my alarm for 7 a.m tomorrow morning- it would give me an hour to get ready and walk across the street to his office- and satisfied, I fell asleep.</p><p>But hold on, now that I'm thinking about it, this seems like a suspiciously long amount of sleep. I woke up with a start and realized much to my horror that it was 7:50 A.M in the morning. SHIT SHIT SHIT.</p><p>I must have forgotten to plug in my phone last night before I went to sleep, and now it was dead. I could've sworn my phone was at 50% last night! I hop out of bed immediately, clumsily making my way into the bathroom and almost tripping on the way.</p><p>Slapping on some poorly blended concealer in an effort to look less like a zombie, I skipped all the fancy steps of my makeup routine and only did my brows. Less than 10 minutes later, I was stumbling out of my apartment with a dead phone and no food in my stomach. What a great way to start the day...</p><p>"Because of this, it's a known fact that-" The five figures in the conference room looked up as I made my way through the door. Oh my god, kill me now. I gave an awkward smile, feeling heat rising in my cheeks. What a terrible first impression I'm making....</p><p>"And you are?" The lady who was previously talking asked, staring at the intruder in the room. I recognized her as Mrs. Sotello, the person who gave me my interview.</p><p>Clearing my throat, I answered her. "Eva- I mean Evangeline Veera. I'm the 5th intern for Mr. Oaksen"</p><p>"I see," was her response. Glaring at her watch, I could tell that she was silently judging me. "Please take a seat, Ms. Veera. It's nice of you to finally join us, but I would prefer if next time you don't burst into the room in the middle of my sentence."</p><p>I nod, embarrassed. Picking the seat closest to the door, the only empty chair anyways, I silently sat down. This was the first time I was meeting all the other interns, and already, I was feeling intimidated. They all looked older than me, with much more confidence and experience, all of which I lacked.</p><p>"As I was saying..." Mrs. Sotello continues. "The main point of Mr. Oaksen's political tour is to meet new potential voters and to convince them why they should vote for him instead of Perdue. In fact, everything you will be doing during this internship will have the goal of helping Mr. Oaksen gain voters in mind. This may include things like promoting him on social media, organizing and planning phone banks and local rallies, and sending out thousands of emails."</p><p>We all nodded eagerly at her words.</p><p>"I hope that all of you guys are prepared to put in some serious hours and dedication for this internship. If your work ethic does not meet our standards, we will not hesitate to have someone replace you. There are thousands out there who would kill for this opportunity, so don't take it lightly." Her eyes scanned all of us before finally resting on me.</p><p>"Does anyone have any questions?" she finally concluded. After no one spoke up, she nodded satisfied. "Wonderful, I can't wait to see the amazing work you will all do. Today's schedule is pretty light, but before we get started, Mr. Oaksen has requested to meet with all of you individually to get to know everyone individually."</p><p>WAIT... what? I had to blink to make sure I was hearing her right. I expected Mr. Oaksen to be a busy man, which was why I didn't think I would actually meet him until much later in the campaign. I was not prepared, both mentally and with how horrible I'm probably looking this morning.</p><p>"Dennis Harold?" she calls from her list, and the buff looking guy one seat away from me stood up. "Since we are going by alphabetical order, you will be going first. Mr. Oaksen's office is just down the hall and to the right. Good luck."</p><p>Since my last name starts with V, I would be going last, which I was fine with. At least this way, I had some time to clear my mind beforehand. I've always dreamed about what it would be like to actually meet and talk with Mr. Oaksen in person, and now, it's really happening. Was he an intimidating person? Someone cold that doesn't laugh at your jokes? I gulp.</p><p>My train of thought is disrupted as the guy whose name is apparently Dennis comes back. That was quick; only like 5 minutes. He shrugs at our quiet, inquisitive looks, not revealing anything.</p><p>"Valerie Keita, you're next."</p><p>Good lucks were whispered as she left, but just as quickly as the previous guy, she came back.</p><p>"What's he like," I whispered to her as she sits back down and the next guy, Beau Roberta, leaves. </p><p>"He's pretty nice..." she replies with a nervous smile. I was waiting for her to say more, but she just turned away.</p><p>"Jocelyn Ophine," Mrs. Sotello nudges the blond girl as Beau comes back. Oh god, I'm next...</p><p>It happened so fast that before I could process what was happening, Jocelyn had come back, and I was making my way down the hall towards a door labeled Mr. James Oaksen. Do I knock? Do I say something before I go in?</p><p>Before I could make up my mind, the door somehow slipped open, and in I stumbled. Oh my god, I was on the floor in the office of Mr. Oaksen on my knees.</p><p>"Careful...."</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟏𝟕, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎 (𝟐)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Careful..." was the first word Mr. Oaksen ever said to me.</p><p>Oh my god. Did that really just happen? Did I really just trip over my own clumsy feet and fall? Cursing silently, I wanted to burry myself in a hole for making such a stupid first impression on the person who I've admired for such a long time now.</p><p>As I recovered from my shock, I looked up to see the gentle nimble hands of Mr. Oaksen as he offered them to me.</p><p>"Here," he mutters, his hand reaching forward to grab mine. Embarrassment rose as I realized that I had been staring at him and was still kneeling on the floor. His bony hands completely cup mine as he took my hand in his and pulled me up.</p><p>"Are you ok?" He asked again, raising his eyebrows in concern.</p><p>"I- I..." Oh fuck, I was totally making a fool out of myself. I swallow, willing my normal voice to return. "I-I'm fine. Thank you."</p><p>"Good." he nodded briefly. "The marble floor can get pretty slippery, you just have to be careful." </p><p>I brushed off my now wrinkled grey pencil skirt and took a deep breath. Seeing that he was motioning to the white leather couch opposite of the chair he had sat himself down in, I made my way over..</p><p>"What's your name?" He asked gently.</p><p>"Evangeline Veera... b-b but you can call me Eva." Somewhere along the middle of my sentence, I noticed that he had tensed up. I haven't even said anything yet...</p><p>"Ms. Veera. I see... " He takes out a piece of paper which I presume is my resume from a plain manilla folder. I stare at him nervously as he reads scans over my resume and profile."</p><p>"Evangeline Veera, born in Atlanta Georgia. I see you were a rising junior at Yale University majoring in political science before you got accepted into my internship program correct?"</p><p>I bit my bottom lip, a nervous habit, and nodded along. "Yes, that's correct. Go bulldogs...." I cheer awkwardly.</p><p>"Very impressive... So then what made you decide to apply for this internship?"</p><p>"Well..." I thought about it for a moment. He was basically asking me to tell him about myself, which theoretically isn't a hard question, but I wasn't sure which version of the truth I should go with.</p><p>I wanted to be honest with him, but that would require me admitting that he was my inspiration and the person who got me into politics, which I feared would make me come off as obsessive or creepy. So instead, I just answered with a simpler answer.</p><p>"I- I've just always been super interested in... politics. I believe that while the United States is a great country, it definitely has unheard voices, and I want to change that. I have dreams to one day become a senator just like you will hopefully soon."</p><p>"Good." he nodded, "so then tell me, Ms. Veera. What policies are you the most passionate about? What voices do you believe are being unheard? "</p><p>"What do you mean?" I asked, not understanding his question.</p><p>"During the duration of this internship, all interns are able to pick one area they are passionate about to focus on for the campaigns. For example, Mr. Roberta had requested to focus on LGBTQ+ rights, Ms. Keita on racial equality, Mr. Harold on the economy, and Ms. Ophine on education. All very fine options."</p><p>I juggled his question around a bit in my head before answering. "Well, my parents are both doctors, and ever since I could remember I've always had a fascination with medicine. So if I could, I would say that I am most passionate about healthcare and giving the people equal access to it."</p><p>"But didn't you just say that you've always been interested in politics? And now it's medicine?"</p><p>Hell, I forgot I had said that. Stumbling over my words, I managed to try and cover up my previous white lie. "B-both. I had a lot of passions, those being among the big list"</p><p>I never expected myself to lie to Mr. Oaksen... ever. The amount of bullshit that was spilling out of my mouth disgusted even myself. I thank god that mind-reading wasn't one of his superpowers.</p><p>He nodded at my answers and I just hoped that he bought it. "Healthcare is good. What are your stances regarding policies within the healthcare branch?"</p><p>"Uhm well," I stutter, not having the answers to this question prepared at the top of my head. "I think that access to universal healthcare is a basic human right. I support strengthening the Affordable Care Act and Medicare, and I support giving a public insurance option to those who choose it. I believe that people deserve to have affordable healthcare and drugs, which is why we must fight big pharma and enlist Medicare for all."</p><p>"Medicare for all? You do understand that I am against Medicare for all right?" He questioned, raising his eyebrows.</p><p>"Y-yes sir I have done extensive research and I know all about what you support and what you don't. I'm not asking to change your views, but I hope you understand that I am also passionate about my own. If it's not too much to ask, I would appreciate it if you would keep the idea of Medicare for all an option in your mind."</p><p>He sighed, not saying anything. He didn't look convinced, which scared me. Mistakenly, I took his sigh as a sign that I could continue talking.</p><p>"Mr. Oaksen, having Medicare for all would save a projected 68,000 lives every year. Plus, it would give the 8 percent of lower-class Americans who are continuously not being able to afford their medications another option, most likely saving their lives. And and and-"</p><p>"Ms. Veera," he finally interrupted. That was when I realized that out of nervousness, I had accidentally gone on another one of my tangents.</p><p>Was it just my nerves or was it getting extremely hot in this room? This interview was not going like anything I had expected, and the worst part is, I couldn't even blame anyone else because it was all my fault.</p><p>"Tell me, Ms. Veera-"</p><p>"EVA... you can call me Eva." I blurted out, quickly stopping when I realized that I had interrupted him. Even though he remained silent, I could sense that he disliked me. If I could've at that moment, I would've crawled into a ball and cried of embarrassment.</p><p>"Ms. Veera," he sighs, continuing again. "If you are half as passionate about healthcare and Medicare for all as you sound like you are, I would think that you'd choose to intern for someone else. Senator Blumenthal of Connecticut for example. I know that he supports Medicare for all. So why'd you choose me?"</p><p>I hesitated before I answered that question. "I want to start off by saying that I don't regret my choices, Mr. Oaksen. Truth be told, I did consider Senator Blumenthal for a while, but I didn't choose him because he was missing something that you have. Mr. Oaksen, I'm sure you know already, but the Senate is old. It has old people. But you, you are different. Even though you are only 33 years old, you've already accomplished so much and-"</p><p>"Politics has a lot of deception, Veera." he interrupted. "I'm not sure if you've realized that, but I didn't get to where I am today just by sitting around and waiting for the apple to fall into my hands."</p><p>"R-right of course..., that's not what I'm implying. I really do believe that you, we, we can all win. I don't care if we have small disagreements in policies, because the important thing is, I believe that you can change the future of the United States, and I want to be here there to help you achieve that."</p><p>I concluded my argument, waiting for him to say something.</p><p>"Thank you, Eva, you may go." was all he muttered, head deep in thought. With that, I was excused, and silently I made my way out. </p><p> </p><p>///Author's Note: </p><p>CONGRATULATIONS to Senator Ossoff for officially getting sworned in as a Senator today &lt;3</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟐𝟖, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It became obvious to the five of us pretty quickly that Mr. Oaksen was a difficult man to please, but we were still determined to die trying.</p><p>Two weeks have passed since when we first started working, and it flew by soo quickly that we were all knocked off our feet. It was definitely ... interesting. The first couple of days were standard procedural training taught by Mrs. Sotello, who apparently was now in charge of the intern group. She was the same cold and intimidating person as the one during the interviews, always wearing the same black cloth mask and never smiling.</p><p>The training included things like how to formally reply to emails, how to introduce oneself when answering office phone calls, and how to mark incoming events on the calendar. We even attended one of Mr. Oaksen's press briefings, clinging onto his every word with stars in our eyes as we watched from the back. Powerful was an understatement; the room was silent as his even voice commanded the attention of everyone there, mesmerizing them.</p><p>But the training was brief and quickly after, we were thrown to the wolves to figure things out on our own. It wasn't easy - hell it was terrible and we were drowning- but we were all too proud to admit it. Every day, we were kept on our toes and at the edge of the seat, ready to jump to action at the slightest hint that Mr. Oaksen needed help.</p><p>It quickly became a sort of competition between us, a competition of who can grab the ringing phone first or who can pull out our laptops the quickest.</p><p> </p><p>The competition only intensified when we learned last Friday that at the end of this internship period, only two of us would be picked to permanently be a part of James Oaksen's team. We all gasped when we heard the news, realization and dread setting in quick.</p><p>"T-two?" I raised my hands, asking Mrs. Sotello nervously.</p><p>"Yes. Unfortunately, we only have two open positions on this team."</p><p>"And for the rest of us?" Jocelyn asked the question we were all thinking.</p><p>"Well, you would return home and back to your old life, whether that's your old job or your old university. You are free to apply for another internship position next fall, but as for this particular opportunity, that would be the end."</p><p>2 out of 5... the odds were not in any of our favor. We surveilled each other, trying to size up our competitions, but there was no confidence in any one of our eyes. It was panic and uncertainty. We all wanted to be his favorite, and who knows to what degree some of us were even ready to go to achieve that.</p><p>"Don't be nervous," Sotello added on as if it was the easiest thing on earth. "All of you are bright, young people, and you have endless other possibilities in life. If nothing, just think of this as a learning experience. Perhaps one day you'll even be sitting next to Mr. Oaksen in the Senate."</p><p> </p><p>==============</p><p>The absurd idea of becoming a Senate representative stuck with all of us as we worked into this week. It was the first week where we were assigned real responsibilities that we had to take care of on top of the daily errands.</p><p>I was assigned alongside Jocelyn, the always smiling blond girl with a sing-song voice, to tag along with Mr. Oaksen's Social Media management team. It wasn't my first choice, not like we had that freedom, but I was definitely still excited for the opportunity.</p><p>For just this past week, our job included going through Mr. Oaksen's public Tiktok, Instagram, and Twitter pages to advertise his campaign and to reply to questions. Everyday, under careful supervision by the higher-level social media managers, we sorted through thousands of "daddy!" and "you're so hot" comments to reply to the relevant ones.</p><p>I'm not going to lie, chuckled at a good chunk of them. I mean, can you blame me?</p><p>"Look," I slid my phone this afternoon over to Jocelyn to show her one of the new comments. It's what we've been doing for the past week; whenever we find laugh-worthy ones, we show the other, and it has been extremely entertaining. I wouldn't necessarily consider myself and her friends, but we've definitely bonded over the hundreds of absurd and disturbing comments we've read.</p><p>In our downtime where we've small talked a little, I've even come to learn a lot about who Jocelyn really is. And dang, I was even a little jealous of her. Not only is she stunning- her heart-shaped and perfectly symmetrical face perfectly frames her ocean blue eyes, her sharp facial features belonging to that of a model- but she is also extremely talented.</p><p>When she told me that she was the vice president of an international trading business, I immediately felt small, because no doubt I would probably never achieve the level that she has. She didn't even have to rub in the fact that she was probably the most qualified for the position, because even without words, I think we all knew.</p><p>This particular comment I was showing her read, "OMG James Oaksen can run me over with his campaign bus," and the surprising part was, it had hundreds of likes.</p><p>"Wow..." Jocelyn muttered, raising her eyebrows.</p><p>"I remember when I was a teenager... we weren't like this at all, were we? I mean... What are these kids even thinking, commenting something so inappropriate on a guy at least double their age..."</p><p>Jocelyn shrugs. "I don't know about you, but my teenage years were wild. Plus, who can blame them for having a crush on Mr. James Oaksen."</p><p>Her answer was nothing like I had expected, and it baffled me. "What do you mean, you can't blame them? Mr. Oaksen is married.... And he's 33...."</p><p>"Please," she rolled her eyes, "not like that has ever stopped anyone. Plus, have you ever even seen Dr. Karina around with him? There are a ton of rumors that their marriage was a publicity stunt."</p><p>"That's insane, Jocelyn."</p><p>"Perhaps, perhaps not. It's not my job to judge, who knows, sometimes you have to do crazy things for what's necessary. Either way, can you blame people for finding him attractive though? He has a model face and hair like those of the Pinterest boys. Don't lie to me and say you have never been down that lane of thought"</p><p>Did Jocelyn just call Mr. Oaksen, the man we are working for, attractive? Sure, he has a powerful presence, and in his dark suit, he doesn't look half bad, but.... I shook my head to stop myself from thinking like that.</p><p>"N-no? Why would I ever have had that thought? And you probably shouldn't think like that either?"</p><p>"Your loss," she shrugged, and the room returned back to silence as we went back to work.</p><p> </p><p>///Author's note:</p><p>Hey! Sorry this chapter took so long to get out, my editor was MIA for a while, but it's all good now! &lt;3</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟒, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"I mean, can you blame her?" Adalynn shrugged on facetime one evening when I told her about the conversation I had with Jocelyn last week.</p><p>"Not you too..." I rolled my eyes sarcastically, causing her to start giggling hysterically. "You're supposed to take my side here, not hers. She's ridiculous!"</p><p>"Look, I'm just saying... I can see where she's coming from. James Oaksen is eye candy, you can't deny that."</p><p>"I guess, if you find that type of guy attractive."</p><p>"You mean the hot type? Yes, I do, Eva! And I know your type: brown-haired and tall guys who are assholes? From what you've told me, James Oaksen fits the description perfectly. "</p><p>"ADDIE!" I gasped, feeling a little offended at how correct her statement had been.</p><p>"You're blushing," Adalynn slapped her mouth, her laughing continuing once again. Sure enough, my cheeks are fire hot, but that was only from her embarrassing me.</p><p>"But hey-help a gal out," she joked. "If you aren't planning on shooting your shot with hot senator man, then at least give me his number, and I-"</p><p>"That's it," I exclaimed as I pretended to slam my phone down on the bed. Addie likes to do this a lot- make inappropriate jokes- but we both knew that she wouldn't actually do half of the things she said. Or at least, I hoped she would never do something like this.</p><p>"OK, OK, enough talking about Mr. hot Senator man. How is your new job going? Are you still alive?"</p><p>"No, my ghost is talking to you right now- OF COURSE I AM, dumbass. I love the job a lot, I'm learning so much and it's honestly so inspiring. I just wish Mr. Oaksen would hate me less though... What did I ever do to deserve his coldness? He's not like this around the other interns."</p><p>"Oh come on, he doesn't hate you, you're just overthinking. Plus, how does his opinion on you matter? You're getting paid aren't you?"</p><p>"Y-yes, but I mean obviously I would prefer if he liked me ..."</p><p>"Boo hoo, Eva. Remember what we always said? Fuck men's opinion. Anyway, I'm pretty sure my pizza is here, so I'm going to hang up on you now. Stop being a crybaby and show Mr. Oaksen and the other interns who's boss."</p><p>"Love you..." I mutter frustrated at her unhelpful response.</p><p>Monday, 31st of August, I arrived at Mr. Oaksen's office early with a cup of cold brew in one hand and a bagel in the other, ready to start my third week of working here. I heard through the grapevine that starting this week, we were going to be individually shadowing Mr. Oaksen, and I was extremely hyped about that.</p><p>Taking Addie's advice, I was going to try and use this opportunity to prove myself to Mr. Oaksen, to show him that I am in fact qualified for this job. I hated when people underestimated me just from my awkward and nerdy outer appearance, and I was not going to let that happen here.</p><p>As soon as everyone arrived, Mrs. Sotello walked into the conference room and started handing out papers. She was wearing a silk black jumpsuit that day that looked high class and clean, something I don't think my outfits ever conveyed.</p><p>Of the two papers she passed out to us, one was a color-coded calendar with the dates of Mr. Oaksen's upcoming rallies and public appearances, and the other was a month-long schedule of our assignments.</p><p>The calendar revealed, much to my surprise, that his first rally is actually next Wednesday, which was sooner than I thought it would be. I wonder if he was planning to bring anyone with him this time; probably not, since us interns were still pretty unqualified.</p><p>Moving my attention to the other sheet of paper, I noticed that it looked almost identical to the one we received last week. The only difference was that there was an additional column added to the side labeled "shadows."</p><p>Mrs. Sotello saw our confused face and started to explain. "I assume that you have all heard by now but yes, shadowing does begin this week. If you take a look at the schedule, you'll see that each of you has been assigned a day where you will follow Mr. Oaksen around and learn."</p><p>I smiled enthusiastically, ignoring my slight disappointment that my day wasn't until Friday. Four days, I can wait.</p><p>This week, I was assigned to help out the correspondence team. On Tuesday, I was joined by Dennis who had just finished shadowing Mr. Oaksen yesterday. I tried to introduce myself to him that day, but he might as well have told me he wasn't interested in my face:</p><p>"So.... how was yesterday?"</p><p>"Look, no offense but I'm not really interested in chit-chatting with someone I barely know. Can we just go back to what we were doing in peace please?"</p><p>Right... ok then.</p><p> </p><p>The days blended together quickly and soon enough, I was skipping through the office door, excited that the day was finally Friday. After putting my bag down in my cubby and taking out my notebook and a pen, I was ready for the shadowing to begin.</p><p>"Hold that thought..." Mrs. Sotello stopped me as I was walking out the door.</p><p>"Good morning Mrs. Sotello!?" I beamed, unable to hide my excitement anymore.</p><p>"Can I speak to you for a minute Evangeline?" She pulled me aside.</p><p>"What's up? I was just getting ready to head to Mr. Oaksen's office."</p><p>"Yes, about that," she sighed, shaking her head. "I'm sorry Evangeline, but Mr. Oaksen had requested that he wanted to be alone today. This means that unfortunately, you won't be able to shadow him today."</p><p>"Wait...." I laughed, so he does hate me after all.</p><p>"Now, I want you to don't be discouraged, there's always the next time-"</p><p>Respectfully, I sidestepped away from Mrs. Sotello and ignoring her confused cries, I marched myself down the hall toward Mr. Oaksen's office. Before anyone could stop me, I pushed my way into the room.</p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟕, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>What... the... hell....</p><p>Three days and a series of events later, I somehow managed to get myself in a position where I was now sitting directly across from Mr. Oaksen in his campaign bus, staring into his incapacitating eyes.</p><p>If you told me last Friday that as a consequence of momentarily losing my temper and marching into Mr. Oaksen's office, I would end up here, I would've laughed at you...</p><p>===========</p><p>"Mr. Oaksen, no disrespect, but what was that about?" I stormed inside his room, unable to contain my irritation anymore. After working with the other interns all week, he magically didn't need help anymore on the day I was supposed to shadow him?</p><p>It took a second for Mr. Oaksen to react to my angry comment. He blinked, not looking up from the stack of papers he was working on, and simply asked, "I'm sorry Veera, can I help you?"</p><p>"Yeah, yeah actually you can. It's obvious that you have something against me, Mr. Oaksen, I mean it's not like you're going to the end of the world trying to hide that fact. And you know what, fine, I'm ok with that. It's not like I signed up for you to be head over heels with me like you are with some of the other interns. But what I'm not ok with is the fact that you aren't even giving me a chance to prove myself. I came here to learn, to grow as a person, so I would appreciate it if I can actually get that opportunity."</p><p>I paused, and weirdly enough, I wasn't feeling scared or intimidated yelling at my boss that probably hates me even more now. It must be the adrenaline pumping through my blood...</p><p>"Why did you cancel today, the day where I am supposed to shadow you? "I questioned after he made no comments to my previous rant. "Are you trying to avoid me? Is it your intention for me to just do all the dirty work?"</p><p>I was expecting him to be mad at me, but instead, he just looked... amused. I bit my lips, waiting impatiently for him to say something .When he looked up, it was as if he was staring straight into my soul. He analyzed me as I stood there in the doorway, fidgeting uncomfortably. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but somehow I saw his eyes light up and a smile break through.</p><p>"Thank you for letting me know how you feel, Eva. I try my best to treat all my interns equally, to not let any bias get in the way of me teaching. I'm very sorry that you've been feeling that I haven't been doing a good enough job at this.. How about to make up for it, you can come along with me next Monday for my rally."</p><p>I had to secretly pinch myself to make sure that I was hearing him right, that I wasn't dreaming. "S-Savannah? You're inviting me to come along on your campaign trip?"</p><p>"I wouldn't necessarily consider it a trip considering how this tour will only have one destination and will only last one week long, but yes. I believe that you'll find this experience a valuable learning opportunity and a great chance to 'grow as a person', was that how you put it?"</p><p>"Uh-" I stuttered, speechless at what had just happened. Why would he ask... me?. Me, a person he hasn't denied hating, on such a valuable and rare opportunity. I wanted to make sure that this wasn't fake before I started celebrating.</p><p>"S-sir, I'm sorry for having to ask this, but you are not pranking me are you?"</p><p>"No, why would I? You wanted a chance to prove yourself, so here it is. Be warned though, this trip is a part of your job, so if you choose to come along, you would have a lot of responsibility with helping the rest of my team.."</p><p>"Of course. I promise I'll be very dedicated, Mr. Oaksen. I- I can't thank you enough."</p><p>"It's no problem, Eva," he smiled, his dimples showing. "Thank you for your enthusiasm. In all honesty though, I really wasn't trying to avoid you today, I'm just very busy preparing my speech for the rally next week. I was going to ask Mrs. Sotello to schedule the shadowing to next week, but I'm guessing you didn't give her a chance to explain, did you?"</p><p>My mouth formed into the shape of an 'O' as I realized I had just embarrassed myself before Mr. Oaksen, again. At least this time, I got something out of it, right?</p><p>"I'm so sorry-" I began, but I got cut off as Darianna, one of Mr. Oaksen's campaign manager, rushed into the room. The change in the atmosphere happened so fast that if I blinked, I would've missed it; the rare smile he had shown me just seconds ago disappeared, and instead, was replaced by his cool composure.</p><p>The woman showed him something that was on her tablet, and Mr. Oaksen cleared his throat. "If you would excuse me, Ms. Veera, I do have to get back to work. I'll come pick you up Monday morning, so be ready.""</p><p>I noted silently how Eva instantly became Ms. Veera. Nonetheless, I nodded, leaving him to his work.</p><p>===========</p><p>I could barely contain my excitement all weekend. I spent every spare moment of my time mentally and physically preparing myself for the upcoming week: I packed, I said my daily affirmations, I dreamed about what the rally would look like, and I even shaved for some inexplicable reason.</p><p>When Monday morning rolled around, I was more than ready. I woke up way earlier than I probably needed to (thankfully my alarm worked this morning), and took a quick cold shower,</p><p>As I was waiting for my morning coffee to brew, I heard a ding on my phone, signifying a text message. It was from an unfamiliar number, and it read:</p><p>"Good morning. Just as a heads up, I'm about 15 minutes away from your apartment. I'll call you when I arrive."</p><p>"Who is this" I texted back, confused. Perhaps they have the wrong number?</p><p>".... Eva, this is James."</p><p>James? Since when did I know someone named James? I took a minute to think, but nothing clicks in my head.</p><p>"Sorry, I don't know who you are. Wrong number."</p><p>"Are you mad at me?" the reply read. A moment later, a second text came in. "I'm not sure what to say, but it appears that you left me on opened..."</p><p>Annoyed that whoever is texting you wouldn't take a hint, I replied, "please stop bothering me."</p><p>"I see how it is, Ms. Veera. I'll be there soon."</p><p>I'll be there soon? Who is I? And where is there? As I sip my drink and pace around my room, my mind wanders off.</p><p>Preoccupied with my thoughts, I jumped when the doorbell to my apartment rang. Who is at my door so early in the day? When I opened the door to see the jumbled expression of Mr. Oaksen, I jumped. Maybe it was the morning haziness, but I had completely forgotten that Mr. Oaksen's first name was James, and I had just told him to stop bothering me...</p><p>I reached out to welcome him in, only to remember that I still had my mug in hand. It happened so fast. I immediately jumped back, but realized that I was already too late.</p><p>"SHIT" I whispered under my breath, internally reprimanding myself for being so clumsy all the time. The coffee (thankfully it was cold) had splashed all over Mr. Oaksen's crisp, black suit jacket, staining it.</p><p>"OH MY GOD, I am so sorry Mr. Oaksen. Fuck- I mean frick, sorry excuse my language- I didn't realize it was you who I was texting and-"</p><p>"Good morning again," he sighed in defeat. "Are you ready to go?"</p><p>"Yes, Yes, I am. Again, I'm so sorry about your jacket. Let me help you clean it up, I'll go grab a towel and-"</p><p>"Eva," he grabbed my wrist to stop me, but when our eyes met, he instantly pulled back his hand. I think that the touch surprised both of us; it certainly did surprise me. Though it was brief, the millisecond in which our skin touched sent electricity shooting through me. What was happening?</p><p>"it's alright, don't worry about it." he cleared his throat, looking away. "Go get your stuff, I'll wait."</p><p>Only when I came back from grabbing my suitcase did I realize that Mr. Oaksen had taken off his stained suit jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his inside shirt. I paused by the doorway, panicking to swat away the thoughts that had appeared in my head after seeing the sight in front of me.</p><p>"Hey, you ready?" he looked up, and I nodded eagerly. "Let's get going then."</p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟗, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Monday night, after spending 5 hours on the road (it really should've only taken 3 hours, but the traffic was terrible), we finally arrived at the Marriott Hotel in Savannah.</p><p>"Be thankful that you get to spend tonight sleeping on a bed and not inside this cramped bus," Mr. Oaksen explained after seeing me huff about how uncomfortable the campaign bus's seats were. You'd think with such a big budget, his team could've afforded a bus with somewhat comfortable seats.</p><p>"I AM thankful..." I retorted with a pout. I cracked my neck and back as I got up and stretched, satisfied with the loud pops that came out.</p><p>Darianna chuckled, giving me a sympathetic look. "You'll get used to always being on the road soon enough. I remember the first time I had gone on campaign with James, it was all the way back in 2017... The bus back then was even smaller than it is now, and we drove almost 10 hours non-stop. Safe to say, I almost quit that day right then and there."</p><p>If her words were meant to make me feel better, they weren't doing their job. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Mr. Oaksen chuckle.</p><p>Upon entering the grand hall of the Marriott hotel, the bellhop, a young man no older than 25 years old, approached us. After muttering a quick, customary welcome, he hurried away with our bags.</p><p>"Name, please?" the young, blond receptionist asked without looking up from her computer. The nametag on her chest identified her as Natalie.</p><p>"Darianna Evermore." Darianna pushed through the rest of the team to get to the front. From her backpack, she pulled out a folder with papers that I could only assume were the receipts for our hotel bookings.</p><p>"Ok....." she entered onto her keyboard, her long acrylic nails making loud clacking noises.</p><p>"Avianna... Celine.... Gideon... James..." she mumbled as she read off the names on the paper, suddenly stopping and looking up at the name "James". The change in her demeanor was instantaneous as her eyes landed on Mr. Oaksen.</p><p>"Oh my god, Mr. James Oaksen" Natalie stared wide-eyed at Mr. Oaksen who at that time was distracted by something on his phone. At the mention of his name, he glanced up confused.</p><p>"I-I can't describe how honored I feel to meet you in person..." she stuttered excitedly. "This year is the first time I'm voting, and I'm definitely voting for you."</p><p>Even through his mask, it was evident that Mr. Oaksen was smiling. He gave the receptionist an elbow bump, sharing a couple of words with her that I couldn't hear.</p><p>"I can upgrade all of you to the best rooms in our hotel free of charge," Natalie chirps after typing up some more information. In a much more buoyant manner than she was earlier, she handed back Darianna her papers and our new key cards.</p><p>She explained that if we had "ANY concern or need at all", we should let her know. Out of the corner of my eyes, I even saw her slip an extra business card into the brochure that was handed to Mr. Oaksen. Only then did I connect the dots. Of course, it was obvious now; her blushing, her stuttering, her staring. No doubt, Natalie, like every other woman in this world other than me apparently, found Mr. Oaksen attractive.</p><p>I rolled my eyes at that thought.</p><p>"Well? Are you going to text her?" I teased as we waited for the elevator to come.</p><p>"What do you mean by that?" Mr. Oaksen furrowed his eyebrows, and whether he was oblivious or just plain unaware, I couldn't tell.</p><p>"Isn't it obvious? The girl back there just gave you her number."</p><p>"I'm still not catching on to what you're talking about, Eva, I'm old."</p><p>Was he really expecting you to explain this to him? No way.</p><p>"Please, enlighten me," he nudged me.</p><p>"Natalie finds you attractive or something..." I muttered begrudgingly, feeling annoyed that I had to explain this to him.</p><p>"Oh," he chuckled. "I see. I'm attractive 'or something', is that right Ms. Veera?"</p><p>I felt his gaze on me and so I didn't say anything, instead, resorting to glancing down to my feet. Our rooms were all on floor 23, which meant a long, awkward elevator ride. When the door finally opened back up, I muttered a quiet goodnight before heading straight for my room.</p><p>===========</p><p>"Quick quick-" the frantic stage manager, Rome, bursted into the back room where the rest of Mr. Oaksen's team and I were setting up in. It was around 9:55 in the morning, approximately 5 minutes before Mr. Oaksen was set to go on stage. Everyone was having a stressful morning running around and triple-checking everything making sure everything was perfect. Well, everyone but me.</p><p>In the midst of the panic, they seemed to have forgotten my existence, leaving me to just stare in confusion. I wanted to help out somewhere, but I wasn't assigned anything, and Darianna's face didn't exactly scream "come talk to me if you have any questions" this morning.</p><p>"Hey, you!" Rome called out, but no one paid him a second look. 'YOU. YOU IN THE CORNER."</p><p>In the corner? I looked up, and indeed, he was staring at me.</p><p>"YES, YOU, COME HERE."</p><p>"Listen, intern, what's your name?"</p><p>" Evangeline sir," I offered.</p><p>"Great. Are you free right now, or do you have something else to do?" I shook my head.</p><p>"Wonderful," he muttered, handing me something that looked like a bunch of wires. "This was supposed to be Darianna's job, but she's quite busy right now, so now it's your job. You have less than 4 minutes before he goes on stage, hurry up."</p><p>"W-wait! What am I supposed to do with... this?"</p><p>He looked at me like I was stupid, a very belittling stare. "That's a mic lavalier, sweetie. You need to go mic him up. Pin this on his collar, feed this wire down his shirt, and then plug this part into his mic on the back of his pants." I nodded, still confused, but I was scared to ask any questions.</p><p>Making sure to dodge all the commotions in the room, I found Mr. Oaksen with something in between a jog and a fast walk. He was busy pacing the room, and when I entered, he looked up, relieved. Immediately, I could feel that the atmosphere in the room was tense; it never occurred to me before now that even though he's done this so many times, he was probably still nervous.</p><p>"Mic," I held up the wires, and he nodded.</p><p>For the most part, he stayed still while I worked to clip the small microphone to his inside shirt. It took me a while to get everything in place due to the fact that I was deeply confused and my fingers were shaking from either nerves or from being so physically close to Mr. Oaksen. His unwavering eyes on me definitely did not help either, but I ignored them as I reached inside his suit and fed the wires carefully down his shirt.</p><p>"Thank you, Eva," he nodded tightly when I finished. We could both hear that the applause outside was growing louder as it neared 10 am. It was nerve-shattering for me, I could only imagine how he felt.</p><p>"Deep breaths. You can do this sir-" I smiled encouragingly, seeing that I didn't know how else to help him.</p><p>"Please Eva," he interjected. "you don't have to be so formal around me. Call me James when it's just the two of us, please."</p><p>I nodded, perplexed that he had just asked me that.</p><p>"Good luck, James..."</p><p> </p><p>///Author's note:</p><p>Hi my beautiful readers! &lt;3</p><p>Just a reminder to please refrain from insulting Eva... I know she may be awkward and a little clumsy at times, but she's actually a very smart and beautiful (both internal and physical) character, as it'll become more and more clear.</p><p>Answering another question I saw: Yes, Flames of Blue is still going to be a romance story. I know it's a very slow burn right now, but that's where all the fun is.</p><p>Hope you all have a great weekend!</p>
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<a name="section0011"><h2>11. 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟒, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Soooo...." Jocelyn started, taking her sweet time to stir the sugar into her coffee. It was my first day back at work after the Savannah trip, and all morning, she had been following me around and trying to get me to talk. I looked up from my phone to discover that she was slowly inching closer to me.</p><p>"So?" I sighed, not really feeling in the mood to talk. Grabbing a granola bar from the designated snack drawer, I tried to make my escape, only to get stopped by her.</p><p>"So, how has your morning been? Anything you want to talk about? You know, just between us friends." She offered me a piece of gum and I took it with a raised eyebrow.</p><p>"Jocelyn, I've literally been sitting five feet away from you this whole time. Please, is something wrong? You've been walking around me the entire morning."</p><p>She rolled her eyes, walking alongside me. "Fine, yes there is something wrong. You've barely said anything all morning, and I want to know! HOW WAS THE TRIP?"</p><p>Oh, so that was why they had all been staring at me this morning. I had been dreading the Monday back from the trip because I wasn't sure how the rest of the interns were going to react, and apparently, my worries were right.</p><p>And it wasn't the fact that I didn't say anything all morning; I had said hello and asked about everyone's weekend, but they just shrugged. The office isn't super talkative on normal days, but this amount of silence was unnerving. What was even more unusual was the fact that Jocelyn, who I hadn't spoken to since the last time we had worked together, couldn't stop talking to me. There was something in the air, but I just hadn't figured out what it was yet...</p><p>"Uhm well, it was.... fun," I shrugged, trying to think of how to describe it casually without screaming about how amazing it was.</p><p>"Come onnn—" she wailed, grabbing my arm. "We ARE friends, aren't we? Tell me the details, all of them! What was Mr. Oaksen like?"</p><p>"It was a pretty interesting experience, the behind the scenes was very interesting to see."</p><p>"Yeah yeah, whatever. But I'm wondering, how did Mr. Oaksen act outside of the office? Was he any different?"</p><p>Oh, different was the understatement of the decade. If only you'd seen him, you would've thought he was an entirely different man. The carefree way he had been on the bus trip back from Savannah, toasting everyone for a successful rally and throwing jokes around. The way the conversations he had had with me were all so... normal, so relaxed. The way he had asked me to call him by his first name, James, like we were friends.</p><p>This morning back in the office, Mr. Oaksen immediately went back to his quiet and professional self. She would've never believed me if I told her about all of that.</p><p>"Not really, he was just like he is any other day, maybe just a lot more stressed."</p><p>"Ugh, and what was the rally like? I mean, the rest of the team and I were watching the rally on the news here so we already know his performance was SPECTACULAR, but I bet it's gotta be different watching it live."</p><p>"Yeah," I smiled, thinking back to that morning. The way his words were literally vibrating through my bones because of how close to the speakers I was standing, but I didn't mind. TV audio really doesn't do his smooth, rich voice justice.</p><p>"It was incredible watching him, Jocelyn. And you're right, it is different, but in a good way that I can't really describe it other than extraordinary. You'll understand one day when you see his rallies live."</p><p>"Yeah right, the keyword being IF he ever invites me to one of the rallies. How did you do it by the way? I've literally asked him twice if I could just tag along but he still didn't let me. No offense, but out of everyone, why did he invite you? You aren't the top-performing intern, nor did you graduate double major at the top of your class, and you certainly aren't the vice president of any companies. What did you do, blackmail him?"</p><p>I know she probably meant that last statement as a joke, but the way she said "Out of everyone, why did he invite YOU" made it sound like I couldn't possibly do anything that she does, like I was below her. I forced a smile so as to not make the conversation awkward.</p><p>"Hahaha... it was unexpected for me too, if I'm being honest. And I'm sure he'll take you one day, you're like one of his favorite interns."</p><p>She muttered something that sounded like "good, he better" and lowered her voice, leaning in to ask me her next question.</p><p>"But seriously, Eva, between us two FRIENDS, what did you say to convince him? I swear, your secret will be safe with me."</p><p>"Honest to God, there's no secret. He just asked me, totally catching me off guard, and I just said—"</p><p>She frowned, as if my answer was not to her satisfaction. By now, we had made our way back to the intern office room from the break room. Before I could finish my sentence, however, there was a motion outside the door interrupting me.</p><p>Jocelyn jumped up almost immediately, and through the slit in the door, I saw that Mr. Oaksen had emerged from his office. Faster than I could blink, she was through the door and making her way to him.</p><p>Ok... that was an extremely weird end to a conversation. I tried to push away the uneasy feeling I got thinking about how she had not been interested at all about my experience; she didn't even ask if I had fun. Instead, it had all been focused on Mr. Oaksen—Mr. Oaksen this, Mr. Oaksen that.</p><p>Perhaps I was just overthinking it....</p>
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<a name="section0012"><h2>12. 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟏, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was Monday night, maybe around 11 pm, when the incident happened.</p><p>Everyone in the office had already left at that point, gone home to their beds or families, everyone except me. The only reason I had stayed that long was because the graphs I was working on kept displaying frustrating errors, and though they weren't due, I was determined to finish them off that night.</p><p>Finally, I was able to wrap them up, but as I was packing to leave, a commotion inside the office made me freeze. It was loud, jarring, scaring me of my skin.</p><p>"Hello? Is anyone there?" I whispered uneasily, shining the flashlight I kept in my bag to the hallways of the office. Glancing out the glass, the office hallways were dark and empty. Goosebumps rose on my skin as I realized how similar this was to the setting of a horror movie. Just to be safe, I grabbed the bottle of pepper spray I keep inside my bag and held it to my chest.</p><p>Something felt off, and soon I realized that it was because Mr. Oaksen's office doors that he always left closed, were wide open. There was an intruder in the building... Should I be scared, and should I call the police?</p><p>Against better judgment, I decided not to. I've personally never trusted the police, and plus, it was probably nothing that I couldn't handle on my own. Tiptoeing along the shadows of the hallway, I make my way to his room, hoping to get a view of the intruder.</p><p>The closer I got, the louder the commotion became. The ruckus sounded like someone was going through Mr. Oaksen's files, but wait. Focusing very hard, I could hear a slight muttering, and a noise that sounded like the intruder was crying.</p><p>Slowly, I inched forward, holding my pepper spray 2 feet in front of me, just in case I needed to defend myself. Was this the smartest choice - approaching the intruder by myself? Fuck no, but then again, I didn't have any better ideas. If it came down to it, I hoped that the 2 years of self-defense lessons I took in middle school can come to good use.</p><p>Clearing my throat, I mumbled a squeaky "Who's here", hoping that my voice was loud enough for them to hear. The shuffling of papers stopped abruptly, as well as the sniffling sound.</p><p>"Hello?" I asked again, wincing at the sudden quietness. "Whoever you are, get out of there right now."</p><p>I stood there awkwardly waiting, but after a minute more of absolute quietness, I was starting to fidget. Perhaps I was hearing things? Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the ajar door.</p><p>"Who the hell-- Mr. Oaksen?" I gasped, surprised.</p><p>He turned around so abruptly that I almost got thrown off balance from surprise. Indeed, it was him, sitting in a sea of loose papers on the laminate floor of his office. Something was extremely off; the eyes he gave me when he turned around were empty of the usual flames they held.</p><p>"Eva?" he cleared his throat, his voice sounding hoarse.</p><p>"Mr. Oaksen, are you ok?" I asked, deeply concerned. Quickly, I flicked on the lights in the room. Not knowing what to do, I take a seat next to him on the floor.</p><p>"What- what are you doing here?" he asked, looking away to avoid eye contact.</p><p>"I was just finishing up my charts and was about to head home when I heard some noises... The real question is, what are YOU doing here so late? Didn't you already leave, like four hours ago? Are you ok?"</p><p>He smiled meekly. "Why wouldn't I be?" The huge dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep told a different story. His eyes were red and puffy like he had been crying. I didn't want to call him out, so I simply nodded.</p><p>"Can I help somehow? You look busy."</p><p>He shook his head in defeat. "I came back to look for some of the past speeches I've written... My team's leaving for a rally in Columbus in the morning, but this speech. No matter how many times I've rewritten it, it just feels like it's missing something."</p><p>"Why didn't you just say something sooner? If you had called me or anyone else on the team, I'm sure we would've been happy to help."</p><p>"I appreciate that Eva, but you don't get it. I'm expected to be perfect for my team, for the outside eyes, and I don't want my team to think of me any differently. In fact, you shouldn't even be seeing me like this right now Eva, go home, it's very late."</p><p>I shook my head at his absurd suggestion. "No, I'm not leaving you here alone, James." Reaching forward, I grabbed his cold, freezing hands and squeezed them softly. " I promise I'm not going to think of you any different, just tell me how I can help."</p><p>"Please, I really don't want to bother you... You're just an intern, and you aren't even going on this rally."</p><p>Right, like if Dennis, the jerk who Mr. Oaksen chose to go with him on his rally, would ever offer to help. In the past month that I've worked with him, I've learned a lot about who he really is, and trust me, they aren't good things.</p><p>The guy was the definition of a frat boy with daddy's money. Because of his dad owning several corporate businesses, he was able to hold multiple board seats in international companies without even having to try. I could also bet you a hundred dollars that if it weren't for the fact that his dad was an alumnus there, he wouldn't have gotten into the University of Michigan.</p><p>"Really, it's no bother... let's go get some air, you can show me the speech you have, and I'll try to help the best I can."</p><p>I will never forget the big, appreciative smile he gave me, nor will I ever forget the weird butterflies that formed because of it.</p><p>"I don't know what I would do without you, Eva." </p><p> </p><p>///Author's Note:</p><p>Happy Birthday to Jon Ossoff ahhh! I'm going live tonight at 5:30 pm PST for a birthday celebration, so make sure to tune in on my TikTok if you can (simpforjonossoff).</p><p>- I don't check AO3 often, so I was so surprised when I checked today and there are more than 400 hits! That's amazing! I'm so sorry that I keep forgetting to update on here, hence why there were 5 chapters uploaded on one day, but I'll try and remember better from now on! Love you all</p>
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<a name="section0013"><h2>13. 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟐, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Good evening Columbus!"</p><p>I smiled when Mr. Oaksen appeared in his crisp, navy suit on the big flatscreen TV in my apartment. I was curled up in my blanket on the couch after a pretty average day at work, and I was so excited for Mr. Oaksen to give his speech- the speech that I had helped him perfect last night. Memories of what happened flash in my mind...</p><p>=========</p><p>"WHAT" I gasped, my hand flying to my mouth. "NO WAY."</p><p>In an attempt to reset our minds before working on the speech, we had decided to take a walk around the block, and he was telling me a story of some of the crazy things that he has seen in his past rallies.</p><p>"Wait wait wait, so the mom just pulled the pants off of the baby and handed her to you?" I laughed in disbelief.</p><p>"Well pretty much, I just got handed the rear end of a baby and the mom told me to sign her diaper."</p><p>"And you did it?"</p><p>"Definitely the weirdest thing I've signed.... It was kind of squishy." He wrinkled his nose to form a silly face and my chortle of laughter started yet again; my stomach was already hurting so much, and I swore if I laughed any more it would fall off or something.</p><p>It was so late in the night that there weren't even any cars; just the two of us walking alone down the narrow and poorly lit sidewalks of downtown Atlanta. Weirdly enough though, it wasn't uncomfortable or creepy, but calming and comforting.</p><p>"Here," he nodded, casually slipping out of his suit jacket and offering it to me. Only when he pointed it out did I notice that I was, in fact, shivering. It wasn't like it was too cold- having grown up in Georgia my entire life, I'd definitely say the weather is pretty mild- but something about that night was different.</p><p>Seeing my hesitation, he held it out for me and helped me shrug it on, the long jacket completely enveloping my arms and my torso. Honestly, I don't know what I had been expecting, but it definitely wasn't this. It was strangely comfortable for a suit jacket, the cotton insides feeling soft and warm around me.</p><p>"Y-you really don't have to," I stuttered shyly, not knowing how to thank him. Secretly, I was hoping he would take it back. James was only wearing an extremely thin blue button-up shirt underneath, through which the outlines for his abs could be seen if you squinted hard enough, and I was worried that he would freeze.</p><p>"Don't worry about me," was his only response.</p><p>Somehow, we eventually found ourselves outside the store of Sid's Ice Cream, which was surprisingly still open at that time of the night. The half-broken fluorescent light flashing "open" invited us in, and with a nod in each other's direction, we listened.</p><p>The small bell on the door twinkled as we pushed the door open, the ice cream shop's pastel decorations giving off a very homey feeling. Looking around the establishment, I tugged his arm excitedly when I saw the humming jukebox machine in the corner, and he immediately lit up.</p><p>"Wow..." he muttered, admiring the old machine that looked like it was taken very good care of.</p><p>"I call her Alessandra," a man with a white beard who seemed to have walked out of thin air smiled passionately when he saw what we were admiring. "She's a beast, isn't she? Absolutely priceless."</p><p>James bumped elbows with him, a covid-safe greeting. "She really is, I've actually never seen anything in real life, and I'm fascinated."</p><p>The man chuckled. "Back in my day, these things were around every corner, blasting songs into your ears that you couldn't run away from. They really should bring them back, don't you think?"</p><p>Absolutely, we all agreed in Unison.</p><p>"Anyways, what can I get you lovely couple so late this evening? May I recommend the coconut gelato? It's made from a special secret recipe that's been passed down my family for years. "</p><p>You lovely couple? I glanced over at James to see how he would react, but he didn't attempt to correct the old man. Instead, he just nodded with a smile, agreeing to try his recommendation. I decided to stay quiet as well; it wasn't like it was a big deal anyways.</p><p>"What would you like Eva?" he asked, waiting patiently as I scanned the big menu on the wall with lost eyes.</p><p>"I-Uhm, the coconut gelato sounds yummy for me as well..."</p><p>I reached into my pocket for my wallet, but he shook his head. "Don't be ridiculous Eva, I've got it."</p><p>Before I could object, he pulled out a one hundred dollar bill from his pocket and handed it to the shocked old man. I couldn't say that I wasn't a little shocked myself. The order ended up costing no more than 10 dollars, but James just kept insisting for him to keep the change as a tip.</p><p>"Please sir, I insist. You work so hard for your family, you deserve this."</p><p>To think that with his small, simple gesture, James had made that the man's entire week. I couldn't help glancing at James with warmth in my heart upon hearing the man's appreciative laughs.</p><p>"You know... that man looked ready to kneel down and start calling you God right then and there when he saw your tip..." I told him later after we had gotten our ice creams and were heading back in the direction of the office.</p><p>"Really?" He hummed inquisitively. "It really wasn't a big deal."</p><p>"Sure, maybe not to you, but not everyone has spare hundred dollar bills laying around. You and I both are fortunate enough to grow up under a roof and with enough food, but for 10.5 percent of US citizens living under the poverty line, a hundred dollar could literally change their lives. We really only have glimpses of the struggle they go through. " I shook my head.</p><p>He looked deep in thought, and I didn't want to interrupt him. We stayed quiet as we continued to walk down the block, ice cream in hand. He didn't tell me what was on his mind, but if I were to guess, I'd say his genius brain was probably finding a way to put his wild ideas into words.</p><p>Quiet lo-fi music played in the background as he drove me home. I wish that there were some way to see into his thoughts so that I would know what he was thinking about this whole time. Whatever it was, I could tell from his sudden change in mood that it was good.</p><p>I even surprised myself when upon arriving after the short drive- I felt slightly disappointed. This was not at all how I expected the night to go, but I absolutely loved it, and I didn't want it to end.</p><p>"I really can't thank you enough, Eva..." He told me as he walked me upstairs to my room. I had no idea what he was talking about because truth be told, I really didn't do much, but I still nodded along.</p><p>And yet, the long hallway to my door from the elevator suddenly felt so short as we stepped off it. I didn't want him to leave, I didn't want this night to end... I tried to read his body language to see if he felt the same, but it was impossible.</p><p>"So..." I smiled sadly, motioning to my door. But the surprises of that night didn't end there, for when he leaned down to place a gentle kiss on my forehead, I was so blown away that I must've stood there for at least a minute after he left, trying to burn his gentle touch into my muscle's memory.</p><p>"Goodnight... "</p>
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<a name="section0014"><h2>14. 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟗, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"I know, but think of it this way: you're going against Trump, the competition can't get much worse than that. For the sake of both of our futures, you've got to kick ass tonight."</p><p>I knocked twice, and through the crack in the door, I could see that Mr. Oaksen was busy pacing around the room on the phone, looking out the window to the truly stunning view of the parking lot.</p><p>"I've got to go Joe, but always feel free to text me later if you need anything. I'll see you..."</p><p>"Was that...." I asked, confused, upon walking into his office.</p><p>"Biden," he sighed. "that was me calling him to wish him good luck on tonight's first presidential debate."</p><p>I nodded. That's right...today, September 29th, was the first presidential election of 2020, a big event that citizens countrywide are looking forward to. I noted silently with a laugh how cool it was that James was able to just call him Joe, like they were best buddies.</p><p>But anyways, that was not the reason I came here. The reason I came was because I was notified that he had wanted to see me, and so, confused, I had made my way here. I really hoped that I wasn't somehow in trouble...</p><p>"I was told that you wanted to talk to me?"</p><p>He blinked, before instructing me to sit down and handing me a small silver tablet.</p><p>"What's this?"</p><p>He motioned to the tablet, instructing me to read the article that was displayed on the screen.</p><p>========</p><p>Georgia Senator Candidate James Oaksen Sees Rapid Rise in Expected Voters After Ground-Breaking Columbus Rally</p><p>In a rally hosted last week in Columbus, Georgia, candidate James Oaksen discussed the wealth gap in America in a heartfelt speech, further detailing his new plan of action, including raising the minimum wage and lowering the unemployment and homeless population. Many voters start to rethink their voting choices as they consider how the new plan will play a role in their lives...</p><p>========</p><p>The further down I read, the more my excitement grew. The news site described Mr. Oaksen's speech at the rally as "sincere" and "extremely influential", even estimating with it's polls that Mr. Oaksen gained 4% more voters with just that one speech.</p><p>"Wow! This is amazing," I looked up to gauge his reactions. "Congratulations Mr. Oaksen... you deserved it."</p><p>"No, Eva, you deserved it. The reason I'm showing you this because I want you to see how much of a difference you made that night. I honestly don't know how to thank you..."</p><p>"You really don't have to, Mr. Oaksen. I was just doing my job, you were the one who actually came up with all the ideas-"</p><p>"And yet you were the one who opened me up to all the ideas. I had never thought of addressing poverty like that, through that angle, but your words, they struck something in me that night.</p><p>"Well, I'm just glad that I was able to help..."</p><p>"You did, you helped so much. I can't seem to say thank you enough, and I really hope you understand that I mean it. You amaze me."</p><p>I ducked my head so he couldn't see me blushing. How was one supposed to respond to a comment like that except with a 'thank you?'</p><p>"Are you going to be watching the debate tonight?" I asked in a poor attempt to change the subject.</p><p>"Of course, I'm sure that Joe is going to do amazing. How about you?"</p><p>"The other interns and I are going to be watching it on the big conference room screen together. Mrs. Sotello instructed us to take notes on it."</p><p>He nodded, pausing for a moment before he spoke again. "You know, I underestimated you, Eva."</p><p>"I'm not sure what you mean sir-" I laughed nervously.</p><p>"Nothing, you're doing an amazing job is all. How are you getting along with the other interns?"</p><p>His question stupefied me. I wouldn't necessarily say I have a bad nor good relationship with them. Rather, I still felt like I barely knew them. I told him the truth.</p><p>"Back when I interned for John Lewis, the other interns were the only things that kept me going every day. Try and connect with them more tonight- you'd be surprised with how close you'll get with them."</p><p>I nodded, confused but thankful for his advice. But the problem was that I didn't know who I could befriend. I didn't like Dennis, Valerie was too quiet, Beau was always sitting in a corner like he wanted to avoid all of us, and Jocelyn... well Jocelyn is just Jocelyn.</p><p>To befriend her would be to ignore all my gut feelings, and I wasn't sure that was the smartest choice. There wasn't a particular reason why she made me feel uneasy- or at least none that I could point a finger on- she just did. Still, following James' advice, I was willing to try.</p><p>When I walked into the conference room later that evening and saw that both seats next to where Jocelyn sat were taken, I couldn't help sighing a breath of relief. Would you look at that? At least this way, it wasn't my fault that I wasn't actively trying to become friends with her; I had a reason I couldn't.</p><p>Not wanting to sit down next to Dennis, I took the only other seat available next to Valerie. True to her nature, she didn't really acknowledge my arrival, just nodded in my general direction.</p><p>From the little information I had picked up about her from listening into James' staff's conversation, she seemed like she would make a great future politician. At 21, she's already accomplished so much; she's graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in political science, she's started up a non-profit organization that fights for racial equality, and she's written multiple research papers regarding white fragility that were nationally recognized. Plus, she had the background for being a politician; her mom is a local mayor, and her dad was an international ambassador. She was all of our greatest competition toward a permanent position on Mr. Oaksen's team, and we didn't even realize it because of how quiet she was.</p><p>I smiled enthusiastically, hopefully not too enthusiastic, and started to introduce myself.</p><p>"Hi! I know we haven't really talked much in the past, but it's nice to meet you! My name is Eva."</p><p>Her natural wavy, brown hair that fell in short, tight curls flew in the air as she turned around.</p><p>"Hi, Eva, I'm Valerie. It's nice to meet you." she bowed her head. Because of how quiet she usually was, this felt like the first time I had heard her speak. Her soft sing-song voice was rich and melodic, like she was reciting off a poem and not just having normal small talk. Her umber skin glistened as the setting sun shone rays of bright light into the room, and I had to admit, I was jealous of how smooth her dark skin was.</p><p>"So...how was your day?" I asked, trying to strike up a conversation.</p><p>"It was good," she smiled. "I just finished up the statement about Historically Black Colleges and Universities that Mr. Oaksen told me he was going to publish on his website and some other small tasks. How about you?"</p><p>"Mine was pretty good as well, I was just drafting ideas for some goals Mr. Oaksen could use within his new plan to measure progress. Oh! Have you seen the news about Mr. Oaksen's voter approval going up? It's exciting, isn't it?"</p><p>"Yes, it's very exciting. Hopefully it's a good sign."</p><p>"You don't sound hopeful..."</p><p>"I studied a statistics about voter prediction versus actual votes once in my government class at Georgetown. Did you know that almost two-thirds of the time, predictions range from slightly off to very off? Why do you think Hilary lost in 2016 even though they said that she had an 85% chance of winning..."</p><p>"Oh..."</p><p>"You're a sophomore majoring in poli-sci right?"</p><p>I nodded.</p><p>"There's a lot you'll start to learn in your upcoming courses like social science and political philosophy. I personally found all of them very enlightening, so I'm sure you'll love them."</p><p>I nodded again, feeling a little lost. The conversation slowly started to dwindle down as Trump and Biden entered the stage, and the debate began .</p><p>And 'debate' it was. Everyone in the room was visibly crying as we tried to decipher and understand the words they spit out in between yelling at each other.</p><p>"What is this?" I sighed in defeat, and to my surprise, I heard Valerie laugh.</p><p>"My mom often lets me host debates in the city hall, and I've got to say, even a bunch of rowdy teenagers have a more organized debate than the one happening right now."</p><p>"Is it bad that I want to laugh? I can't imagine you trying to maintain order in a room full of teenagers. God, speaking of teenagers, my teenage years were rough..."</p><p>"Tell me about it," she chuckled, before we both went on a tangent about embarrassing high school stories.</p><p>I walked out of the conference room later that night with a headache, extreme confusion, and many questions left unanswered. But if there was one question that I was sure of, it was that I made a friend that night.</p>
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<a name="section0015"><h2>15. 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟕, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It's crazy to think that it's almost been 2 months of working with Mr. Oaksen, and oh how time flies. It's even crazier to think that in less than a month's time, Mr. James Oaksen will either be the next youngest Senator of Georgia, or all of this work will have been for nothing. I really hoped it would be the former, and based on the current looks of it, it was not blind hope.</p><p>Early voting season started last week in Georgia, and the atmosphere in the office and around town was tense; nervous. This year, a million more new voters had signed up, mostly young people that had just turned 18, and nobody knew whether that was a good sign or a terrible one.</p><p>Mr. Oaksen in particular seemed to always be particularly on edge, jumping at every little sound. I tried to help him as much as I could, but I wish there was more I could do. His dark eye circles made it look like he hadn't slept in weeks, and he always seemed exhausted.</p><p>Every day of October had been eventful up until now. With the start of early voting season, more rallies were scheduled in a last-ditch attempt to try and gain support, and as of now, a weekly schedule had been set. Rallies every Wednesday, press conferences every Monday and Friday, and endless paperwork in the days in between. I just kept telling myself that in a month's time, all of this would pay off.</p><p> </p><p>Last week's rally in Augusta had gone flyingly, and Valerie and Jocelyn (whom, to all of our ear's relief, finally got to go) came back with huge grins on their faces.</p><p>"You weren't lying when you said that the experience was unreal... I can literally still hear the cheers of the crowd when I close my eyes and focus." Valerie told me all about it on our coffee break the morning after she had came back. According to her, the turnout was way more than had been predicted, but perhaps that was because Joe Biden himself was there.</p><p>"Did you have fun?" I asked.</p><p>"Duh. It was mind-shattering. If only Jocelyn wasn't there, it would've been a thousand times better though."</p><p>"Oh?"</p><p>"She was probably running around Mr. Oaksen more than Mrs. Sotello did, and that's saying a lot. Mr. Oaksen, are you thirsty, should I bring you a cup of lemonade? Are you cold perhaps? Mr. Oaksen, pick me, choose me, love me." she quoted in a mocking tone, and I snickered.</p><p> </p><p>The huge turnout was wonderful news for Mr. Oaksen, and I had predicted that he would be immensely satisfied, but he wasn't. When I had finally gotten the chance to talk to him yesterday, he seemed to be in extreme distress, pacing around his office and muttering things to himself.</p><p>"Hi Mr. Oaksen... I was just wondering if you needed any help setting things up before we leave for Athens tonight. I just finished up the emails to confirm all the vendors for tomorrow, and I'm free for the rest of the afternoon."</p><p>He nodded, though he wasn't really paying attention to what I was saying. " Good, good. Thank you for the offer, but this is a matter that even I can't do anything about"</p><p>"What's wrong?" I asked patiently. I've never seen Mr. Oaksen in this level of doubt and uncertainty before. James was not the kind to ever be unsure about anything, he always had a plan and always had ideas, and seeing him like this was unsettling.</p><p>He shook his head. "Nothing, Eva. I'm just concerned about the rally tomorrow is all..."</p><p>"Why's that? If you're worrying that no one is going to show up, you shouldn't because the outcome from last week's rally was spectacular."</p><p>He sighed. "It's the opposite concern for me in fact. The amount of people that showed up is record-breaking, and under normal circumstances, I would be overjoyed. But something feels off, and with what's going to happen tomorrow-"</p><p>"Wait, what's happening tomorrow?" I interrupted, confused.</p><p>When he looked at me, his eyes were guilty, like he had just something he wasn't supposed to. He met my eyes slowly, speaking softly. "Just the rally."</p><p>"But you said-"</p><p>"I misspoke was all... Look, I know you and Beau were supposed to come with me to the rally tomorrow, but I was thinking perhaps it would be best if I went with Beau alone this time."</p><p>"What's going on James?" I asked again, this time knowing for a fact that he was lying. There was for sure something in the air, I just couldn't place my fingers on it.</p><p>"What do you mean?" He feigned innocence.</p><p>"At first, I thought you were just acting weird because you were stressed about the outcome of the rallies, but there's obviously something else going on. What's going on? Tell me what it is so that I can help."</p><p>He sighed. I noticed that his fists were clenched tight, nervous."There is nothing going on, Eva."</p><p>"But-"</p><p>"Goddamnit, Eva! Why can't you ever just do what you're supposed to!" His voice quivered with emotions as he yelled, but he wasn't angry. Instead, he sounded frustrated and ready to give up. Seeing his desperate face when he turned around just confirmed my guess because it was not that of an angry man, but of one who felt like he had no other choice. Nonetheless, his booming voice made me flinch. It made me feel small, like I was a child and I had just gotten myself in trouble.</p><p>"Fine, if you want to come along tomorrow, you can. I'm just trying to protect you, but obviously, my efforts are useless."</p><p>I stayed quiet, processing what he meant. What was he protecting me from?</p><p>"Just leave," he sighed, and I was all too keen for the escape.</p>
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<a name="section0016"><h2>16. 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟕, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎 (𝟐)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Avoiding James, I chose a seat next to Beau near the back of the bus later that night. He smiled gingerly at me as I sat down, his attention temporarily leaving the book that his nose had been buried in.</p><p>"What are you reading?"</p><p>"This?" He asked, turning the book sideways so that I could see the worn-out cover of the old, wrinkled book. Antigone by Sophocles. "Greek mythology, a tragedy," he explained after seeing my confusion. I've heard of Sophocles before, obviously, but I've never read this particular play and it intrigued me.</p><p>"Like Percy Jackson?"</p><p>He chuckled. "It's about Antigone, a princess, and her loyalty to her family and people she loved. It's quite sad. I highly recommend it if you love classic literature and mythology."</p><p>"I love classical literature! Who's your favorite author? Wait actually... let me guess..." I squeezed my eyes shut in an attempt to recall some names of famous classical authors I learned about back in high school literature class. " Is it Charles Dickens or Thomas Hardy?"</p><p>"Close, actually it's Oscar Wilde." I nodded, furrowing my eyebrows. Somehow, that made sense.</p><p>"What about yours?" He asked in return.</p><p>"Jane Austen, hands down," I answered without any hesitation. The magical way she used her words, the way she was way ahead of her times; she's always been my favorite, and she'll always remain my favorite.</p><p>"Popular choice; she used to be my favorite too until my boyfriend introduced me to The Ballad of Reading Gaol. Ironic in this case, don't you think, that Oscar Wilde wrote those poems after getting exiled for being gay?"</p><p>I joined in on the laughter. "Wow... It's crazy to think that Wilde  had three trials and was kicked from his home just because he had sex with a man."</p><p>"Not if you think about the fact that homosexuality is still illegal in 71 countries in 2020. It's why I took up focusing on fighting for LGBTQ+ rights in Mr. Oaksen's campaign." Beau sighed.</p><p>"Your boyfriend... what's he like?"</p><p>"The most amazing person to walk this planet... His name's Michael, he's the stubbornest person I know, but also so incredibly compassionate and loving. God, I still can't believe I have the honor of calling him mine...."</p><p>I couldn't help but feel the twinge of jealousy that grew in me as he went on to talk about him. The loving way he described him and the excitement that overcame Beau when he showed me a picture of them together on his phone; I wanted to experience all of that so much.    </p><p>I had been in a couple of relationships in high school, but none that were too serious. Never before now did I find relationships interesting or necessary, but hearing him talk about Michael was making me start to see the hole that had existed in me this whole time.</p><p>"I just miss him so much, you know?"</p><p>Beau looked sad, and I didn't blame him. I couldn't imagine how hard it was for him to leave the person he loved behind, to not see him for a year. I nodded sympathetically.</p><p>That night, I had a dream that I eloped away with a faceless man to Italy. He called me "angel" and baked me macaroons, and at night, he held me oh-so-lovingly. And an amazing dream it was, for I woke up with a deep pain in my heart.</p><p>"You know... dreams actually have a deeper meaning than you think they do," Beau explained to me later in the afternoon as we were driving to the site where the rally would take place. For some inexplicable reason, that morning, I had told him about my weird dream, and now he was critiquing it.</p><p>"Right... whatever you say." I shook my head.</p><p>"Just think about it..." he shrugged.</p><p>Upon arrival, we parted ways, him going to meet up with Rome as he had been requested, and me making my way to the backroom where Mr. Oaksen's team was hanging out. The atmosphere in the room should've immediately raised a red flag as I walked in, but it didn't. Instead of running around panicked, the senior members on Mr. Oaksen's team were huddled in a corner, eyeing the room and whispering amongst themselves.</p><p>The air was tense, the uncertainty as thick as butter. I signed in on the tablet and placed my backpack down, before picking up my stuff and going to do my duty to mic James up.</p><p>"Evangeline... I want you to stand on the left-hand side of the stage behind the curtains after I go on, in a place where I can see you." He announced, deep in thought while I worked.</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"Just- do it ok? I can't explain it other than that I need you there." His strange request perplexed me. For what reason would he make such a weird request?</p><p>"Uhm... if you say so...." I noticed during the process that he kept glancing at the clock on the wall like he was willing it to go faster.</p><p>"Three minutes..." he muttered nervously. For some weird reason, I felt like he meant more than when the rally would start.</p><p>"You're all set," I told him, smoothing out his suit as a last-minute resort to make him look more professional. I tried to calm the running thoughts in my head as my hand brushed over the hard muscles on his arms through the suit.</p><p>"Eva-" He opened his mouth, but immediately closed it and shook his head. "Nevermind. Just remember what I told you earlier, okay?"</p><p>"Don't worry. You're going to kill it out there today." His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed.</p><p>One more minute until the rally. Walking onto the stage, the sea of people who were attending today's rally erupted into cheers immediately. His eyes darted between where I was standing and the crowd, and I gave him a reassuring smile.</p><p>"Good morning-"</p><p>Boom.</p><p>It happened so quickly that I was sure I was hearing things. But then it happened again. The loud, cracking noise repeated itself, the distinct pops of semi-automatic rifles to be exact.</p><p>It started small, distinct, but in the time it took for me to understand what was happening, the sound surrounded me. Cries echoed out from the crowd as realization dawned on them, and before long, chaos swept the stage.</p><p>Before I could make a decision as to which way to run, a pair of strong hands gripping tightly to my arms swept me away.</p>
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<a name="section0017"><h2>17. 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟔, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Okay, that's it," I muttered, slamming my MacBook shut after seeing the hundredth variation of the 'The attack of October 7th' headline in the news. The media was treating it like it was some big gossip, not like real people had actually gotten hurt and traumatized from that day, and it angered me.</p><p>I gave the other interns a mean glare when they turned to stare at me. Go ahead, let them stare, let them pity me.</p><p>"Has anyone heard anything from Beau yet? It's been more than a week," I huffed, breaking the silence. Last week's event seemed to have impacted Beau more than it did me, for while I had gone back to work immediately the following Monday, nobody has heard from or even seen Beau since we've gotten back. Everyone was beginning to worry.</p><p>"No, I was down by his apartment this morning but he didn't answer the door," Valerie sighed. Of course he didn't answer; that part didn't surprise me. We've all been down to his apartment, everyone including James, but he didn't bother to answer his door even once. If it weren't for the fact that he had texted an 'I'm ok' to the intern group chat one morning, we might as well have thought he had died.</p><p>"Let's just give him some time, he'll get over it one day...;" Jocelyn chirped in, and I actually managed to laugh out loud.</p><p>"Get over it? Get over it! This is not something you just 'get over,' Jocelyn. You weren't there that day; you have no idea how scary it was to be blindly running for your life." Valerie, who was sitting next to me in the conference room, patted my shoulder in an attempt to comfort me. I hadn't even noticed that I was starting to shake.</p><p>"No, I- I didn't mean it like that..." she replied guiltily.</p><p>"Look," Dennis sighed with annoyance. "I'm sorry if this comes off as insensitive, but what the hell happened that afternoon anyways? Literally every single headline tells a different story."</p><p>That part was true; the major news headlines were all insanely inaccurate, using the incident as a chance to push different obscure narratives to the public. The left-wing was convinced that this was an attack caused by right-wing activists who were angered that James' ratings were going up and were looking to cause a ruckus. Conversely, the right-wing news networks called it a terrorist attack and were convinced that the FBI needed to investigate surveillance records to find the 'real' cause. </p><p>Nobody knew the real truth- not even me. The only truth I knew was that whatever it was, it was terrifying...</p><p>===========</p><p>Boom.</p><p>The deafening thunder of the gunshots froze my body in shock, my limbs not finding the strength to move no matter how hard I tried. Everyone around me was running for their lives, scattering everywhere- everyone except me.</p><p>Boom.</p><p>Move, I tried to tell myself, but it was useless. My attention was darting everywhere, trying and failing to process everything all at once. The world around me became a blur.</p><p>Boom.</p><p>The pounding in my chest was almost as loud as the gunshots that were going off. It was beating so ferociously that I wouldn't be surprised if my heart decided to just detach from my body and run off altogether.</p><p>Boom.</p><p>Where was everyone? Where did Mr. Oaksen go, and was he ok? The last I saw of him, he was standing on the stage in the open, exposed, but the stage was empty now. And what about Rome, and Beau, and Mrs. Sotello? Were they okay as well?</p><p>Boom.</p><p>My mind wasn't able to comprehend what was happening until I had already ran down the steps of the stage and halfway across the parking lot, heading towards a cluster of office buildings. Only then did I realize that I was moving, getting dragged along by an equally as shaken James.</p><p>"Hurry up, Eva, faster!" He urged, his hold on my wrist so tight that I thought he would cut off my arm's circulation. It seemed like he knew what he was doing,  so I followed.</p><p>"W-where are we going?" I stuttered while trying to push past a pack of frantic backstage managers running in the other direction.</p><p>"Just trust me."</p><p>Down a poorly lit and dangerously steep set of stairs we went, our steps echoing loudly in the darkness. James placed one of his arms around my waist to steady me as we ran down, which I was all too thankful for. Knowing how clumsy I was, without him, I would've already fallen down at this point. The staircase led down to a hallway in the basement of the building.</p><p>"In here," he instructed, pushing open the first unlocked door that he could find to expose a janitor's closet.</p><p>    The space was small and cramped, filled with a weird, moldy and unpleasant smell that made my nose wrinkle. The flickering lightbulb in the room was the only source of light in the small space. He rushed me in and shut the door behind us, using a broom to prop the door handle securely shut.</p><p>    "James-" I started, my voice quivering.</p><p>    "Shhh, it's okay," he whispered, pulling me into his chest and holding me there.</p><p>"What-what happened?"</p><p>    He shook his head. "I don't know, Evangeline, I really wish I did. All I know is that for a split second there, I lost sight of you, and that alone gave me more panic than anything else that was happening around me."</p><p>    "James-"</p><p>    "Angel...."</p><p>Standing there, his arms wrapped tightly around my body, the fight or flight feeling from before started to wear off, turning into fear. The shock started to set in, and then there was nothing I could do about my tears after they started falling.</p><p>    He was patient. He held me tightly for god knows how long and just let me cry, occasionally patting my back to comfort me.</p><p>    "I'm so, so, sorry Eva," he sniffled, his face twisting painfully. I buried my face into his shoulders, my arms wrapping around him for dear life. His strong and stable heartbeat was the only constant in that room, giving off a sense of security as I listened to it.</p><p>    "I'm sorry, I'm sorry...."</p><p>===========</p><p> </p><p>"Eva...." Valerie nudged my shoulders. "Earth to Eva...."</p><p>I shook my head, finally finding the strength to push away the painful memory from last week that had crawled itself into my brain again.</p><p>"Huh? I'm sorry..." I apologized hastily, still feeling disoriented.</p><p>"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to... I'm sure it must be hard for you, and we all completely understand that."</p><p>Do they though? "I'm sorry... I just- I just can't."</p><p>They nodded sympathetically.</p><p>"So what do we do now? Just give up?"</p><p>"No, Dennis, that is the last thing we want to do. " Mrs. Sotello chimed in her clear and loud voice, drawing our attention immediately. I hadn't even noticed her coming into the room- how much of the conversation had she heard? "What we want to do now, though it's understandably painful and hard, is to move on."</p><p>"Seriously? That's it?" I voiced my disbelief, and they all agreed.</p><p>"We have no other choices, unfortunately. The show must go on."</p>
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<a name="section0018"><h2>18. 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟑, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Thank you, Ayesha. I trust you to keep everyone safe," was the last message in a stream of emails sent between Mrs. Sotello, James, Darianna, and a couple of his other senior staff members.</p><p>I hadn't meant to lurk around in James' private inbox, but when I saw this chain of emails in his inbox while trying to upload some graphics I made onto his computer, I was immediately drawn in. For what do you know, the subject of the emails read, "OCTOBER SEVENTH."</p><p>It wasn't that I didn't respect James' privacy; of course I did, but the email was like a piece of honeycomb and I was the bear. I had been searching for answers as to what had happened that afternoon ever since it happened, and this chain of emails might as well have been the key. I knew immediately that there was no person or thing that could stop me now. Even knowing that I was doing something that could easily break whatever relationship James and I had, or worse, get me fired, I clicked 'read more' with shaking hands.</p><p>Wide-eyed, I started reading the conversation backward starting with the most recent, until I got to the very first one, sent all the way back on September 21. That was more than two weeks prior to the attack.</p><p>"Thank you all for making an attempt to attend the meeting that was held this morning under such short notice. I know that today's update in the meeting changes a lot of things, but please understand that it's a plan that I would never propose unless we were at a point where there are no other choices. Due to recent circumstances, it seems that we have indeed reached that point. It's a lot to process at once, but I urge everyone to think about my proposal carefully.</p><p>"Please understand that what we discussed today must not be shared with anyone. For everyone's protection, only those who absolutely need to know about the plan should, which currently are only those who were at the meeting today.</p><p>Looking forward to hearing what everyone thinks in two days,</p><p>J.O "</p><p>My head started to spin as I read the entire thing, my heart restarting it's persistent pounding. I shook my worry away, and accidentally found myself defending James- the email was too vague, and there were a lot of plans- he could've meant anything. I scrolled through the next couple of emails and found that they were all just replies from his staff confirming meeting times and days.</p><p>Just as soon as I found something that I thought could be useful, a private reply from Mrs. Sotello stated "I don't agree with your previous email, James, I think there are other ways we can go about this," I realized that there was, in fact, no previous email.</p><p>"Unavailable," it displayed; the previous email had been deleted. I grunted angrily after reading all 33 of the emails and finding nothing that revealed more important information that could be used as evidence. This was extremely frustrating; I had hit yet another dead end today, and the evidence I had to work with just kept diminishing.</p><p>The wondering of what in the world the deleted email could be plagued my mind. If only I could know what it said, perhaps the answer would piece itself together. The only problem was that the only two people who knew what the email read were James and Mrs. Sotello, and I had no idea how the hell to get them to tell me.</p><p>But I was determined for the truth to come out, and even if that meant having a couple of awkward conversations to explain why I had been reading the emails, I was prepared. I decided with no hesitation that James was my best bet, and with the goal in mind, I went to find him.</p><p>"James?" I cleared my throat as I approached his office, and seeing that his door was wide open, I walked in. "Hey, I just wanted to return your computer and see-"</p><p>The swivel chair at his desk turned around, but the person sitting in it was not James. Rather, the chair was occupied by a young, pretty woman with dirty blonde hair brushed into a messy ponytail. She cocked her head to one side, staring at me with wide, curious eyes. I was so jealous of her pretty long lashes that fluttered when she blinked.</p><p>"James?" she asked me, raising her eyebrows.</p><p>"I-uh Mr. Oaksen... I was just coming to return his computer, and I was hoping to speak with him. "</p><p>She nodded slowly, turning her lips up into a sad smile. "I see. He stepped out momentarily to go print some papers, but I'm sure he'll be back soon."</p><p>I returned her smile hesitantly. I had a lot of questions, like who this woman was and whether she knew she was sitting in James' chair, something he doesn't let anyone touch, but I didn't voice them. I didn't want to be rude though, and so I resorted to striking up some small talk to prevent any uncomfortable silence.</p><p>"Of course, I'll just wait here if it's fine with you?"</p><p>She told me that she didn't mind.</p><p>"It's uhm, nice to meet you by the way... My name is Evangeline."</p><p>Her wide eyes only became wider upon hearing my name. I felt her eyes on me as she slowly took me in from head to toe, her smile unwavering.</p><p>"Eva..." She stated rather than asked, and I bowed my head, confused.</p><p>"Y-yes people around here call me Eva." In my head, I wondered how she knew my name. I was sure that I'd never met her before.</p><p>"You're quite young, aren't you?"</p><p>"I'm a sophomore in college..." I replied uneasily.</p><p>She smiled. "I see... How rude of me to not introduce myself, my name is Aaliyah. Sit down," she motioned to the couch.</p><p>I took a seat as she suggested. "Do you work here? I don't think I've ever seen you around..."</p><p>"I guess you could say that... And you're right, this is the first time we are meeting, but I know a lot about you, Eva. James always talks about you."</p><p>Oh? Her statement was a surprise to me, in more ways than one. I was the only one who called Mr. Oaksen James- not even Darianna called him that, and hearing the name come out of someone else's mouth just felt so weird. She obviously had a close relationship with James, but who was she?</p><p>"Look, Karina, I wish there were something else I could do about all of this, but Joe's already on my ass about it and quite frankly, you aren't helping..." James unknowingly answered my question as he muttered her name as he strolled back into the room. Karina... I knew that name. Oh my god, Aaliyah was Dr. Karina, James' wife...</p><p>Aaliyah cleared her throat, eyeing me and trying to get James to stop talking because I was in the room. He seemed to have not noticed that he had new company, for he didn't take her hint and just kept going on his tangent</p><p>"Does Joe really think I just did all of that for kicks? Does he not understand that whether or not I win affects not only us, not only Georgia, but the entire fucking future of our country?" Still not seeing me, he rambled on, kicking a box of documents on the floor in frustration as he walked around.</p><p>"James..." Aaliyah cleared her throat a little bit louder this time, still trying to get his attention.</p><p>"I made the right decision still holding that rally despite knowing what would happen, right? I knew what the consequences would be, but I made a sacrifice..."</p><p>"James, I don't think-"</p><p>"God, don't tell me you agree with Joe. Do you not know that I think about the sin I committed every single living second, that I feel terrible about how-"</p><p>"JAMES," she turned to yelling this time, and it finally stopped James in his tracks.</p><p>"What?"</p><p>She motioned with her head to where I sat awkwardly on the couch, my breath still stuck in my throat from what his words had just unknowingly confirmed. His demeanor changed immediately when he spotted me. His body tensed up, and his eyes darted between me and Aaliyah in panic.</p><p>"Eva..." he muttered softly.</p><p>"So it's true...." I paused, feeling my heart break into a million pieces as I pieced everything together. "You knew that the attack was going to happen, and you still chose to continue on with that rally?"</p><p>"She doesn't know?" Aaliyah asked, raising her eyebrows, and James shook his head.</p><p>"How could you.... How could you do that?" I accused him, before turning my attention to Aaliyah. "And you... you also knew what was going to happen. But you didn't stop him? He could've died that day... Shouldn't you, as his wife, care more?"</p><p>"No, Eva, you don't understand, it's because-" James tried to defend himself, desperately waving his arms.</p><p>"He wouldn't have gotten hurt," Aaliyah, looking a little taken back by my words, cut off James' response to me. "No, he wouldn't have gotten hurt either way, because he was the one who planned the attack. "</p>
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<a name="section0019"><h2>19. 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟔, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>TW: mention of suicide</p><p>"Evangeline...."</p><p>"James, please-" I choked out, slowly starting to back away. I wanted to- no, needed to escape far away from him, from this building, from reality. "I can't.... I'm sorry"</p><p>"Angel, please, let me explain...." he chased after me as I pushed my way out of the office building, blinking away the tears that were threatening to blind me.</p><p>"Don't touch me..." I pulled back my arm in disgust when he tried to grab me and stop me from walking out of the door. The new, gaping hole in my heart stung like hell. To believe that I had trusted him, that I had tried to defend him by saying he would have never done anything like this.</p><p>"I'm begging you... just give me one minute, that's all I need, so that I can explain."</p><p>"Explain what?" I spat out. "What ever in the world could you say to reason your way out of this? Why, why the fuck did you do it?"</p><p>He had the audacity to look sad, to cringe away from my words. "I wish I could tell you , but the truth is dangerous and I'm not willing to risk your safety. Just know that this is not what it looks like."</p><p>"I think this is exactly what it looks like, James. You planned an attack on your own rally so that you could get some media attention. You heartless pig... "</p><p>Perhaps my words were a little harsh, but I didn't care. After learning what he'd done, this was the least I could say.</p><p>"This was never the plan. I never meant for that day to happen like that, angel." He continued.</p><p>"To happen like that? But you meant for it to happen in the first place?" I couldn't believe the bullshit that I was hearing.</p><p>He took a deep breath. "Everything I said back there was true. If I don't win this election, America is doomed, and I could stand here for a hundred years telling you the deadly impact that would have on the future of this entire country."</p><p>"Oh, so instead you just said 'fuck it, let's start shooting at innocent citizens instead, because who cares about them anyways', right?" I had a strong urge to approach James and slap him across the face, but I stopped myself. I just kept walking.</p><p>"No, Eva, stop. Like I said, the attack did not go as planned at all. It wasn't supposed to happen at this magnitude, but the important part is that nobody got hurt-"</p><p>"Nobody got hurt? James, I practically jump 2 feet into the air now everytime I hear a popping sound of any kind , and I can't even count the number of times I've cried myself to sleep over what happened that afternoon, thinking of how close we all were to getting hurt."</p><p>"And Beau. I bet you didn't know that he tried to take his own life after what happened, did you? Because not only was he left out there all alone that afternoon with nowhere to hide, but nobody was there to check up on him afterwards either. I bet you didn't know that Beau's father died from a robbery gone wrong when he was just 8, and he watched it all happen. None of us could even begin to imagine the pain he's going through. So don't stand there and tell me that no one got hurt, James, because we all did. "</p><p>He didn't reply, suddenly becoming very interested in the pavement. But that was all the response that I needed.</p><p>"That's what I fucking thought..."</p><p>What was one supposed to do when they discovered a truth so terrible and so heartbreaking like that? That weekend, not moving from the couch except to go to the bathroom, I pondered my options with tears streaming down my face.</p><p>I was unbelievably upset at him, at what he had decided to do, but then again, there wasn't really anything I could do about it. Sure, I could report him to the FBI, I could tell the media, the other interns, but what good would that do? That asshole was right... it was up to him and Warnock to flip the senate, America needed him.</p><p>I didn't think I could live with this secret, that I could walk into the office building and face him again on Monday like nothing had happened, because it did. Then again, after everything that I'd been through and sacrificed to get here, I couldn't quit now.</p><p>I was stuck in a corner, seemingly having so many choices but in reality having none. The worst thing was that I had no one to vent to, no one I could talk. I hate this so much...</p><p>Monday came, and even though I knew that this was the last week of early voting before election day, I couldn't bring myself to face him. I texted Valerie, making up an excuse that I didn't feel well, and hoped that she would forward my message to Mrs. Sotello.</p><p>But out of the blue that afternoon, I received a text from James. Do I even bother to open it? I watched as the notification banners popped up, reading them one by one but not responding.</p><p>James: Eva, I'm conflicted.</p><p>James: I want your help.</p><p>James: Need*. Please reply.</p><p>James: Just give me a chance to explain myself. Please.</p><p>His most recent text piqued my interest. Some strange, despicable part of me still wanted to learn the reason, to hear him out, but I knew I couldn't. I could learn to accept the truth, that perhaps like he said, what he did was necessary, but I could never truly forgive him for this. Annoyed with his insistence, I replied curtly, hoping he would leave me alone.</p><p>Eva: No. Go away.</p><p>James: Angel?</p><p>Eva: Stop calling me that...</p><p>James: Are you ok?</p><p>Read 3:08</p><p>James: I'm coming over. See you in 10.</p><p>Read 3:11</p><p>I didn't think he would actually physically show up at the door of my apartment, but what do you know, 10 minutes later there was a loud knock.</p>
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<a name="section0020"><h2>20. 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟑, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Five minutes left before I was set to go on live TV in front of the entire nation...</p><p>I stood on the podium nervously organizing and reorganizing my papers as I watched the sea of media personnel running around in the room, making last-minute adjustments and yelling over one another.</p><p>I swallowed dryly, trying to calm my racing heart. This the first time that I would be on live T.V and the first time that I would have to give a speech in front of a million cameras. Perhaps even more importantly was the fact that the speech was for James' and Joe Biden's campaign, and it was election day.</p><p>Combined with the fact that I had less than a week to practice and memorize this long speech, it was not looking good for me. Everything was on the line, and if I did horribly, it would all be my fault. Every part of my body was nervous- on edge.</p><p>Why, why did I even agree to do this in the first place...? Oh right, because though I still hated James with my entire existence, a part of me just couldn't resist his pleas...</p><p>=========</p><p>No longer than 10 minutes after receiving the short text from James, I heard a loud bang on my apartment door, scaring me half to death. It took me a moment to realize that it was probably James, for who else would show up at this strange time in the afternoon?</p><p>"Go away!" I screamed with a hoarse voice, throat strained from screaming into pillows all weekend.</p><p>"Please Eva, let me in...." he begged gently.</p><p>"Leave," I repeated again.</p><p>That bastard didn't. Instead, his loud banging just seemed to get louder. Finally, feeling my headache get worse from the obnoxious sound, I toddled over with annoyance to open the door, muttering while doing so. As the creaking door swung open, an extremely disheveled James was revealed to me.</p><p>"What could you possibly want from me?" I threw my hands up in defeat, blocking the door to stop him from intruding in.</p><p>"I wanted to talk to you, to make sure that you were okay."</p><p>"Well, mission accomplished, you can leave now." I was not planning on putting up with his crap today, and I didn't care how rude I was being.</p><p>"Funny, Eva. I'm being serious. I'm worried about you."</p><p>"Don't be. I was doing just fine before you came actually. Now, do you have anything else, or can you leave?"</p><p>"Eva, I have a favor to ask of you... I need you to do something for me, but I'm not sure if you'll like it."</p><p>I raised my eyebrows. "What is it?"</p><p>He hesitated, looking like he was debating whether or not to say what he wanted to. "I need you to make a speech... a statement rather."</p><p>"Me?" I asked, perplexed. I had to make sure that I was not hearing things because that request seemingly came from nowhere.</p><p>He nodded. "Yes you, Eva."</p><p>"But... why?" My question was truthful because I sincerely didn't know or understand. I was an intern, a person that did the dirty work; a nobody.</p><p>"Because you are very convincing and give amazing speeches."</p><p>"That's bullshit," I called him out. I was far from qualified for doing what he was asking, and there were probably countless other people on his team who could do this job a million times better. "What's the real reason?"</p><p>"Uhm, well..." he looked away nervously.</p><p>"You want me to give a speech about the day of the attack..." I knew I was right in my guess because he instantly looked guilty. Of course, he wanted me to give a speech on that day- it had been his plan all along: gain sympathy points from America because poor young senator candidate Oaksen and his poor, traumatized intern...</p><p>No, I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of using me like that. I attempted to close the door on him, but he quickly stopped it.</p><p>"I know it's a lot to ask, but you could be the key to the future of democracy, to winning the election..."</p><p>"Do I look like I care?"</p><p>"Angel please-"<br/>"I'm not doing it, and nothing you say will change my mind," I declared angrily.</p><p>I expected him to fight back like he always did, but to my surprise, he just nodded and took a step back from the door.</p><p>"I'm sorry..." he ducked his head, his voice suddenly mousy. "I'm sorry for asking you, for everything that has happened. I had predicted that that would be your answer, but I still hoped."</p><p>He bowed, his sad, guilty eyes not leaving mine while doing so. If I hadn't believed his apology before, his expression revealed that it was sincere. And much to my annoyance, his look pulled at my heart so much that it started to hurt. "Have a great rest of your afternoon...."</p><p>My best friend Adalynn had always said that my emotions were my weakness, that they would be my downfall one day. And perhaps she was right, because that night I texted James again to tell him fine, I'll do it.</p><p>=========</p><p>James approached where I was standing quietly from behind me, placing a hand on my lower back and bringing me back to reality. It took everything in me not to shy away from the touch. Instead, I turned to flash him an artificial smile, knowing that the cameras were observing us closely.</p><p>"You ready, Eva?" He asked gently, eyeing the media team in front of us anxiously.</p><p>I shook my head.</p><p>"Remember, The fate of the U.S. rests on your shoulders this morning," he whispered to me while smiling at the cameras.</p><p>"Right... no pressure at all," I replied sarcastically.</p><p>"Sir, we are ready to go live whenever you are," the camera guy conferred, and James shot back a thumbs up in confirmation. The microphone on the podium buzzed softly when I tapped on it, waking it up from its slumber.</p><p>"I'll be right there if you need me," he nodded, stepping back into the shadows and giving the stage to me.</p>
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<a name="section0021"><h2>21. 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟑, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎 (𝟐)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Good morning, Georgia," I smiled, strategically flashing my charming expression at the sea of cameras positioned just meters from my face. "Happy election day."</p><p>"Today is the day that we've all been waiting for. Today is the day that we venture to the voting booths so that we may use our voices to determine the future of our country. Today is it."</p><p>"My name is Evangeline, and I am here today, as one of the interns on Mr. Oaksen's team and a survivor of the events of October 7th, to speak out about my experience on that day. More specifically, the effects that day had on our community."</p><p>Ignoring the deep pang in my heart that I've felt every time I've practiced this speech, I gave my best smile to the cameras, pausing uncomfortably. If I was being honest, I felt a little lightheaded, the world appearing a little blurry, but it was probably just the anxiety.</p><p>"Georgians, I hear you, and I feel you....The day started off like any normal day for me. I was standing backstage, proudly admiring Mr. Oaksen's rally, when the attack happened. It was terrifying... the loud booms that echoed through my skull, the way that everyone just froze in fear, and the total chaos that followed milliseconds after."</p><p>Just thinking about that day gave me the chills, and I paused to regain my composure. It took every ounce of strength in me to not break out into hysteria over the searing memories.</p><p>"Almost a month later, our community is still recovering from that terrible day... the effects of what it has done are obvious, and we must not forgive whomever the attacker is, no matter what."</p><p>In my head, I was thinking about the irony of that statement; the fact that James himself wrote this speech, but he was the one who planned the attacks... I had to lie through my teeth with these statements, and for what?</p><p>"Seeing that, Mr. Oaksen has been working tirelessly to adjust his approach on policies and plans for his campaign, with special emphasis on issues such as stricter gun control and a better public healthcare system."</p><p>I tried to take a couple of inconspicuous breaths in through my nose, but they seemed to get stuck halfway in. I was starting to notice the fact that my racing heart still hadn't calmed down and that the world only seemed to be getting blurrier and blurrier, but of course, I ignored it.</p><p>"This would prevent attacks like this from happening again in the future, as well as providing both medical and psychological support to survivors of events like that of October the 7th. Rest assured, the Oaksen team will not stop the investigation until the instigator has been held accountable for their- "</p><p>"Woah, Woah, Woah..." I could hear James' soft yells from a distance. The last thing I remembered seeing was the bright light of the shooting equipment and James' tight arms around me, catching me before everything around me turned black.</p><p>I groaned uncomfortably, a deep ringing in my ears waking me from my unconscious state. My eyes flew open to a homey, unfamiliar room.</p><p>I shifted the warm comforter that I was wrapped in to the side, attempting to sit up but failing miserably. My head felt like someone had repeatedly pounded it with hammers, and the worst part was that I couldn't even remember anything. The open curtains revealed that it was dark outside, later in the afternoon or evening.</p><p>"Eva, you're awake..." hearing his voice made me jump. James rushed into the room, a cup of water in one hand and a bottle of Tylenol in the other, and placed it down on the nightstand next to me.<br/>"Are you okay? How do you feel? Do you need anything-" I put my hands up to stop his talking. His rush of questions only seemed to have made my pain worse, and I didn't need that right now. I was supposed to be the one asking questions, not him.</p><p>"I'm fine, I think.... Where am I and what happened?"</p><p>"Take this," he instructed, before taking a seat on the bed next to me. "You passed out during your speech, so I brought you back to my house."</p><p>Oh my god. I was convinced that my face was as red and hot as the sun at that moment. I ran what he said through my head my few times, trying to get a grasp of reality. I passed out... on national television... and now I'm in the bed of my boss....who planned a terrorist attack and who I hate?</p><p>I felt like I was going to pass out again, except this time it would be from embarrassment. I glanced around his bedroom to try and distract myself, taking everything about his room in. It was clean and classy, the walls a little bland, just a light tan color, and a few paintings. Honestly, it suited him.</p><p>"Say something..." he followed the path of my eyes, anxiously staring at me.</p><p>"It's... nice. Is this your room?"</p><p>"Yes, the guest bedroom, which is why it's so empty. Because of how different my wife and I's schedules are, I sometimes sleep here so as to not disrupt each other's sleep schedules. "</p><p>I nodded, that made sense. My eyes paused at a black and white wedding picture of James and Aaliyah that was on the bookshelf as he mentioned his wife, reminding me of yet another reason why I should not be here right now.</p><p>"Thank you, for, uhm, everything..." I told him, interrupting the silence. "I'll leave now, so as to not be a bother when your wife comes-"</p><p>"No! I mean wait, you don't have to go...." he cleared his throat again. "You're not a bother, and to be honest, I don't trust you to make it back to your apartment in one piece. Plus, Aaliyah is working an overnight shift tonight, so you don't have to worry about her."</p><p>"On election day?"</p><p>He nodded sadly. "Unfortunately. Please stay, angel, at least for tonight."</p><p>"I don't know...." I began, but then realized the significance of today.... In a couple hours, if we were lucky, we would receive the results of the election, and then, James would either become a heartbroken mess with no one there to comfort him, or the next senator of Georgia, with no one there to celebrate with him.</p><p>I was still angry with him, make no mistake, but I agreed out of pure sympathy...</p>
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